Graeme Gee
Graeme Gee
See part 1 for Sept 9-11
September 12
The last full day is action-packed, as they say, so an early start is in order. In the context of serious eating and drinking, this means 8.30am. Ensconced in a very large bus, we set off. Amid the cluster of wineries on State Highway 50, our target for the first tasting of the day is the
Trinity Hill
winery. Founded in the early 90s by John Hancock with the first wines made from the 1997 vintage, this 700 tonne operation has focussed on the Bordeaux red varieties in the past, but is expanding into non-French varieties. We had a quick walk around the winery with assistant winemaker Hew Kinch while he spoke about Trinitys philosophy. Lots of wine to taste, and time is slipping by, so some notes are a bit cursory.
2008 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Arneis (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$19}
Nebulous white flower aromas. Light in body, this has some decent acidity, but still comes off with a slightly greasy texture, despite its savoury quality. Medium length dry finish. Some interest, certainly has potential.
2007 Trinity Hill Sauvignon Blanc (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 12%, NZ$19}
Soft and floral, with a greenish aspect to the nose. Fruity and almost oily on the palate; yet light-bodied, no obvious residual sugar. Interesting, and should hold for a few years.
2008 Trinity Hill Pinot Gris (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$29}
Grey and soft. A dash of old oak adds body on the palate; the flavours are still pretty neutral. Not much acid, not much body. Absolutely not worth the money.
2006 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Viognier (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$29}
Pleasant nose; the classic apricot character is not overdone, and theres a pleasant sharpness to the aromas. Dry, with soft acids and tannin, theres a thick dustiness to the fruit giving it quite a full body. Minimal oak treatment has helped the freshness, and the wine thankfully doesnt sag on the palate. Still, I wouldnt be holding it too much longer.
2006 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$29}
Easily the outstanding white in the portfolio. Sophisticated oak, biscuit/bread/yeast and stonefruit aromas. Dry on the palate, weighty in body yet all to scale; rich ripe cool-climate fruits, nicely balanced. The complete package.
2006 Trinity Hill High Country Pinot Noir (Hawkes Bay) {diam, 14%, NZ$39}
Simple fruity-cherry nose. Tight, clean and sour on the palate. Decent acid keeps to very fresh, almost tart, tannins are soft, light-medium weight and modest length finish. Perhaps another year or two will help unify all the parts.
2007 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {diam, 13.5%, NZ$29}
Displaying all the signs of a cool-climate heritage; white pepper & spice dominate the nose. The palate is light and chewy, its a dry, savoury food-style wine rather than contemplative. Kind of expensive
2007 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Tempranillo (Hawkes Bay) {diam, 14%, NZ$29}
A heroic effort which seems to need a focus. Its warmly spicy, with some subtle vanilla, but overall not especially varietal in its characteristics. The palate is a bit harsh and raw; tannic, certainly it needs time to calm down.
2005 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels The Gimlet Merlot blend (Hawkes Bay) {diam, 14%, NZ$29}
The clear value-for-money choice among the reds, this sweet raspberry-fruited wine has plenty of body and warmth, with plummy chocolate flavours, but all nicely-sized in a medium-bodied way, and with a persistent, not-too-sweet finish. 61% Merlot, 21% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot, and the two cabernets make up the rest. This is the wine to buy.
2002 Trinity Hill Gimlet Rd Cabernet/Merlot (Hawkes Bay) {cork, 14%, NZ$29}
A pleasantly mellow nose of blackcurrant and cigar box. Mostly medium-full in weight, still with plenty of tannins possibly too much for the fruit, which is starting to get distinctly herbal. Thing is, the finish doesnt really hold on as long as Id like; the nose is the best thing about the wine, and I wouldnt keep it longer.
2006 Trinity Hill Hommage Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {diam, 14%, NZ$120}
The aromatic and flavour profile of this seriously-priced wine is not significantly different to its little brother. The difference is in the depth of fruit, the polish of the tannins, and most of all, in the length of the finish. Theres a floral quality to the fruit despite the pepper and spice, but the memorable thing is the balance of the fruit and structural components. Ought to develop for years, but should also be two-thirds the price at most.
2007 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Noble Viognier (Hawkes Bay) {375ml, screwcap, 12%, NZ$25}
Sweet rich citric fruits with a botrytis overlay. You wouldnt pick this as viognier from the nose. Honeyed, soft and seductive on the palate, not too sweet, but not acidic enough to keep some flabbiness at bay. Moderate.
Back in the bus and travelling south-east, we have a pre-lunch appointment at
Vidal
winery in Hastings really in Hastings, the cellar door is as suburban as you could find with winemaker Hugh Crichton, who exactly resembles his publicity shot in the winery brochure, even down to the shirt he is wearing. Disconcerting. Vidal is part of the Villa Maria group, but the parent seems content to let them run their own race in all important respects.
2008 Vidal Riesling (Marlborough) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$18}
Sweet lemon and apple fruit aromas. Light medium body with some sweetness. Bath powder and talc flavours on the palate. Just enough acid to hold it together. Hugh explains you need acid and residual sugar about the same to stop the sweetness taking over this wine has sugar of 8.4g/L, and acid of 8.2g/L. It seems to work. Good to drink now but should age a little.
2008 Vidal Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) {screwcap, 13%, NZ$18}
Almost extreme nose of tart pungent gooseberries. My goodness. Oddly, the palate is not so polarising, managing some tropical/passionfruit flavours. Not so acidic as it threatened, being quite soft on the palate. Short finish. Very much a wine of two halves.
2007 Vidal Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$18}
Plenty of butter and cream notes with vanilla oak. Palate is creamy and ripe, but a bit simple. Too much malo for me (60%). Soft acid, finish fades fast. Not a fan.
2005 Vidal Reserve Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$30}
Similar style, although the fruit seems better able to handle the winemaker-heavy treatment. The genuinely fuller body is enlivened by appreciable stone fruit flavours. Theres a better length of finish too. Theres not much development, but I always think this is a style better drunk young.
2007 Vidal Reserve Viognier (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$30}
This could be a carbon copy of Trinity Hills effort. Same peachy/apricot flavours, soft acid, low tannins and oiliness. Theres a little mineral freshness on the palate, and minimal oak helps, but still its a style that doesnt quite hit any particular target for me.
2006 Vidal Gimblett Gravels Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$25}
Cool climate alert. Menthol, pepper, spice, spearmint. Nevertheless ripe and quite large on the palate; medium/full body, explosive pepper and floral fruit on the front palate, and then it recedes quickly. A short finish is the biggest disappointment here, although in a price context its a harsh criticism.
2006 Vidal Stopbank Pinot Noir (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.3%, NZ$40}
Drunk out of sequence! Floral, with jammy strawberry aromas that stop short of being too confected. Softly subtle oak (20-30% new) underpins a palate of warm ripe fruits, which manage to taste almost succulently bitter. Pretty good, although its a competitive price point in NZ. Only 300 cases made.
2005 Vidal Gimblett Gravels Reserve Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$55}
Dark ruby. A rich ripe nose of raspberry, pepper and seductive chocolate. Very intense, with fine strong tannins balanced with ripe fruit. A wine powerful and subtle at the same time. Long, sophisticated finish, with wonderful balance the full length of the palate. Only 400 cases made. Worth buying (and I did!)
2006 Vidal Merlot Cabernet (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.9%, NZ$30}
Brambly, herbaceous and curranty, an impression probably exaggerated after tasting the last wine! A pleasant well-balanced palate of at least medium-bodied weight dominated by fruit, but ultimately a bit simple and with a too-short finish.
2002 Vidal Merlot Reserve Merlot Cabernet (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$40}
An aging Bordeaux nose of cassis and cigars. A medium weight in its structure, this wine is aging perhaps prematurely but elegantly. Its nicely balanced, and thats its chief asset. Secondary cabernet and merlot flavours with fresh acid still, its definitely a drink now proposition.
And that wraps up the morning session. Remarkably (sensibly), theres no alcohol with lunch at the Opera Kitchen, adjacent to the Spanish mission style Hawkes Bay Opera House. Yes, theres a Hawkes Bay Opera House. After lunch we head to
Esk Valley
far to the north of Napier, where we were hosted by longtime winemaker Gordon Russell who obsessively produces an eclectic and eccentric collection of exclusively Hawkes Bay wines from one of the oldest original wineries rather resembling an art deco 1930s dairy in the region. Esk has 23 open-topped concrete fermenters dating from 75 years ago which they still use to make their reds. Total production of the estate is around 25-30,000 cases; this is another hands-off, Villa Maria-owned operation.
2007 Esk Valley Riesling (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 10.5%, NZ$19}
A clear-greenish colour. The nose is subtle, a mix of chalk and musk. The palate is a little floury, a little oily, yet remains fresh and lively; an interesting and almost unique style. The current approach was arrived at after repeated failures to successfully produce an Alsatian style of Riesling. There is 15g of residual sugar, and enough acid to balance it. Gordon now picks on acidity, not sugar, and no acid additions are made in the winemaking process. This is a pretty successful riesling along with the Martinborough Jackson block the pick of the week.
2007 Esk Valley Sauvignon Blanc (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$19}
A full rich style, with a nose of lychees and guava, a fruit-salad-like palate with only a minimal herbal note. The dash of sugar gives body to the wine rather than sweetness; still the finish remains in the short-medium spectrum.
2007 Esk Valley Chenin Blanc (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13%, NZ$19}
Restrained savoury notes, some perfumed musk; the nose is a bit hard to pin down. A wild yeast ferment and 20% old oak treatment give a wine with lovely persistent acid length supporting honey and pear fruit flavours of medium weight with a medium-long finish. Tastes nearly dry too. How will it age? I wish I knew
2007 Esk Valley Pinot Gris (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$23}
This lemon coloured wine smells of lightly spiced pear, an aroma which follows through onto the palate. Flavours are a touch anonymous, but the rather full structure carries the alcohol well. A good winter wine for non-red drinkers!
2007 Esk Valley Verdelho (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%}
This is apparently NZs only Verdelho. It has an almost spirity, Soave-like nose. The faintly off-dry palate tastes like a blend of pinot gris and viognier with a splash of grapefruit. A dash of residual sugar counteracts the bitterness from the skins. Quite rich in texture, with medium weight and length of finish. Good to see the alcohol well under control.
2008 Esk Valley Ros Merlot/Malbec (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$18}
Light pink-crimson. Fresh spiced strawberry fruit, from the Malbec, presumably. Made with short skin contact, rather than a saignee style of wine. Not excessively sweet in flavour, but still needs a good chill.
2005 Esk Valley Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$30}
Plenty of lifted white pepper and sandalwood aromas. The palate blooms initially with cherry and spice fruits but then fades quickly. Towards the lighter end of the weight spectrum, its quite well-balanced overall, but still a slightly short finish lets it down a bit.
2006 Esk Valley Reserve Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$60}
Odd that its a younger vintage than the regular release, but with only 250 cases made I guess they sell out pretty quickly. This is inky dark in colour. The palate is rich and closed and semi-impenetrable. The finest of tannins feature on the palate along with medium weight velvety ripe cool-climate fruits and a persistently long finish which goes most of the way to justifying the price. This is made from specific vineyard plots, rather being a barrel selection (or simply the regular wine oaked for longer), and it shows in the very distinct differences from its humbler sibling.
2006 Esk Valley Merlot Cabernet Malbec (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$23}
Cherry/plums and jammy fruits, but not extroverted, rather calm and confident. On the palate theres a lightly herbal touch which gives it a very claret-like air. Medium acid and tannins fit well, theres a little old US oak in the background, but well-integrated. At worst youd say the finish is a little short, but really, this was probably the bargain red buy of the trip. I wish we could have tasted the Reserve bottling.
Tasting over, we return to the Havelock motel for a touch of titivation, then its off to Craggy Ranges Giants Winery for the final dinner of the trip. We arrive at the stunningly situated Giants to the south-east of Havelock at 5pm for a tour of the premises. The attention to detail is staggering; everything has been done with an eye on quality, or at least seemingly without regard for cost. Almost without regard for cost Craggy are one of the few Kiwi wineries to charge for tastings at the cellar door. I dont know exactly whats on offer for tasting in normal circumstances, but I find it hard to believe that even the most finicky visitor couldnt find something theyd happily purchase. Walking through the offices, we enter the Sophia winery. Purpose-built for Steve Smith to make its eponymous wine (and presumably to take visitors breath away) its an echoey cylindrical hall, with a small brass plaque in the very centre of the floor commemorating the opening in 2005 by the local Maori tribe and Sir Edmund Hillary. From here we proceed through to the low-roofed barrel hall, and then into a more mundane (but underground) part of the winery for the final staged tasting of the trip where 200-odd Spieglau glasses awaited us
With the tag-team of TJ and Adrian giving us a bit of insight, we assessed these:
2008 One Tree Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) {screwcap, A$14}
2007 Wild Rock Strugglers Flat Pinot Noir (Central Otago) {screwcap, A$27}
These two wines are a special bottling for a Sydney retailer. The sauvignon is sharp and fresh, with zesty acid, and carrying only the tiniest touch of sugar. A fresh and simple, but worthy easy drinker. The pinot looks a little dull in the glass but offers lifted chewy sour cherry fruits on the nose, and a slightly stalky herbal character on the palate. Its bit angular but satisfying anyway, and very young, of course, and both wines look pretty good in A$ terms (taxes included!).
2008 Craggy Range Te Muna Rd Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Martinborough) {screwcap}
The full spectrum of classic NZ sauvignon fruits is on display here, from the green fruit-asparagus style, right through to the tropical fruit salad. Crystal-like clarity on the palate; with a mix of sweet and sour fruit, sharp but not unnatural acid and the clincher a long persistent finish. Top shelf sauvignon, no question.
2007 Craggy Range C3 Kidnappers Vineyard Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.2%}
Not much to add to the note from yesterdays lunch; fine stone fruits, the barest hint of vanilla oak. Balanced somewhat towards the front palate, but retains some subtlety of mouthfeel. Clean and fresh and appetising.
2006 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Le Beaux Cailloux Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.8%}
The nose is the full orchestra figs, nuts, stones & grapefruit. Add leesy notes, subtle French oak. The texture is creamy and smoky, with dusty tannins, and a persistent finish. Not oversized, but very polished and correct. Ive rarely tasted a 100% malolactic-finished wine with this degree of freshness and tang.
2007 Craggy Range Zebra Vineyard Pinot Noir (Bendigo/Central Otago) {screwcap, 14.1%}
From a 20ha vineyard on the South Island. Likely to sell for around $A58. A deep crimson/purple colour. A nose of spicy berries and violets. The palate adds flavours of smoky sour red fruits and a vague leafiness. Attractive richness on the mid-palate and a medium length finish. Its very young but even now no fruit-bomb. Also carries its alcohol without a hint of warmth. Terrific potential, although drinkable early.
2006 Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Pinot Noir (Martinborough) {screwcap, 13.8%}
This looks way older than the Otago offering. Its also smells much older, with earthy aromas, wet leaves, and forest floor aromas. The texture is light, with a dusty savoury aspect to the fruit. Pleasantly persistent, although I remain a little freaked out by the colour. Its desperately hard to make a valid comparison to Wednesdays lunch-time bottle, Ive got to say. Context is everything, isnt it?
2006 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Block 14 Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.4%, NZ$45}
Purple/blue. Violets, white pepper, flowers. Lifted and pure. The initial palate impression is of fine blueberry essence, but not in a sweet or cloying Barossa Valley kind-of-way. Rather its all dry and savoury, which is not to preclude the silky/velvety mouthfeel, fine persistent tannins and lengthy finish. I was impressed enough to buy a couple of bottles of this the next day.
2006 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Le Sol Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {cork, 13.8%, NZ$90}
Dark purple/blue. Inky-smelling black pepper. The spectrum of fruit flavours in much blacker here than in the Block 14. Super-fine iron-like tannins still allow a velvety feel to the overall texture. A powerhouse, but with some subtlety. Steers a well balanced line between South Australian and Northern Rhone styles of the grape. Remains expensive, however.
2005 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Sophia Merlot/Cab Franc (Hawkes Bay) {cork, 14.1%, NZ$60}
Nearly black in colour. Smoky (not oaky) and leafy (but not green) aromas. Distant echoes of St Emilion. A cinnamon/sandalwood touch to the fruit. Lovely coverage of the palate; the structural components all blend together well to create a harmonious, if youthful whole. Served very cold, which tended to suppress it a little.
The tasting concluded, we head back up to ground level and wandered about the front lawn enjoying the sunset over the Te Mata Range while sipping
2004 Pelorus Vintage Brut
Clean & biscuity on the nose, apple-like and fresh on the palate. Quite large, coarse bubbles, medium acid; an OK wine, but nothing all that special.
Finally, we climb upstairs to our table at Terrir, Craggys award-winning restaurant. Sadly, Ive lost my dinner menu, so cant list the outstanding dishes. We did, however, get to sample the winner from yesterdays pinot-blending competition while Adrian gave us a quick run-down on our blending skills. For what its worth, the blend my partner and I made rated third, although Adrian reckoned there wasnt much to separate the top four wines.
The dinner wines were drawn from the pre-dinner tasting (so no further notes from me), but there were a few new offerings for one reason or another.
2006 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels The Quarry Cabernet (Hawkes Bay) {cork, 14.2%}
Barely a couple of hundred cases of this were made. The name commemorates the never-fulfilled destiny of the Gimblett Gravels. Impenetrably dark colour; a nose of blackcurrant essence. Right on the varietal money. The palate is inky and closed. A sort of suppressed fruitiness is apparent, peeking through walls of fine tannin. The wine is so well-proportioned this is my overwhelming impression of all the Craggy Range wines were tried this week, a sensation that above all balance is their hallmark. This wine rises only a little above medium weight, but the finish is oh-so-long. One to keep.
2006 Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Noble Sauvignon Blanc/Riesling (Martinborough) {375ml, cork, 11%}
A mix of botrytised sauvignon and late-pick riesling. A sweetly perfumed nose of honey and quince precedes a mostly simple palate of citric/apricot flavours. Its moderately sweet, but its fairly light weight stops it becoming too cloying; the acid seems a bit modest to consider this a cellaring proposition. A quaffing dessert wine, if there is such a thing.
2002 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Le Sol Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {cork, 15%}
A surreptitious purchase from the wine list courtesy of Greg, I believe. Although still a dark and deep colour, the nose is showing signs of development; there are earthy hunter/burgundy-like aromas, although without the bretty stink sometimes seen in those wines There is still ripe spicy shiraz fruit, of course, but its definitely evolving. The palate is still quite tightly-wound, not at all hot, and shows signs of good things to come. Still something of an iron fist in a velvet glove; will be a fascinating wine at ten years, I reckon.
2001 Chateau Pichon Baron Longueville (Paulliac)
Some of us decamped to the bar after dinner, and perusing the wine list - as you do prompted some Rotters to display great generosity and start buying bottles to try. In reality after a week of mostly younger Hawkes Bay reds, older Bordeaux was always going to look a bit odd, but here it is! This wine tastes very dusty indeed, all bony tannins laced with flecks of fruit, and really needs a meat dish to show well.
2000 Chateau Leoville Barton (St Julien)
After the Paulliac proved something of a disappointment, the list was perused again. Seeing the 2000, 01 & 02 vintages of this wine all at the same price was a red flag to a bull. This offered similarly fine yet prominent tannins, but was garlanded with much fleshier red berry fruit, a better balanced structure, and longer, better balanced finish. Its still not really a first choice for after-dinner drinking, though!
And thats it for the weekend; one of the greatest Noble Rotter trips away. 2009 will be a very hard act to follow. Saturday we went our separate ways; some sneaking away at dawn, the bulk of us sharing a mid-morning ride to the airport with a brief detour through the Art Deco glories of Napier. I found a very good bottle shop in Havelock before we left, and can also confirm TJs tip that with a boarding pass discount, The Cellar duty-free bottle shop at Auckland airport is a very good place to buy Kiwi wine, if youve planned your hand luggage accordingly!
Thanks to Rachael for all the detail legwork, and of course to TJ and Kim for their own time and Craggy Ranges hospitality. It was very generous, but also a brilliant way to demonstrate the commitment that CR has to wine in New Zealand; and to applying standards of quality above all else in the quest to realise a properly long-term vision of supreme achievement. In an era of dodgy corporate takeovers and short-term con artists, to see an enterprise built with an only the best will do attitude from the ground up is a sight to behold.
cheers,
Graeme
Background and disclaimer: The above is the trip report I wrote for the Noble Rotters, the informal 11-man monthly wine dinner group of which Ive been a member for 9 years. To celebrate the groups 20th anniversary, the annual weekend-away (with some spouses; about 17 people all up) morphed into a 5-day trip to New Zealand, facilitated by one members wine-trade relationship with the Peabody family, co-owners of Craggy Range. The rest of us are not ITB in any way. We paid all our own expenses; airfares, accommodation, transfers, meals. Pure tasting samples were provided free, in the normal way, but Craggy Range wines with meals we paid for probably at around wholesale price. Some small portions of text not wine related inappropriate to a public forum I have deleted.
September 12
The last full day is action-packed, as they say, so an early start is in order. In the context of serious eating and drinking, this means 8.30am. Ensconced in a very large bus, we set off. Amid the cluster of wineries on State Highway 50, our target for the first tasting of the day is the
Trinity Hill
winery. Founded in the early 90s by John Hancock with the first wines made from the 1997 vintage, this 700 tonne operation has focussed on the Bordeaux red varieties in the past, but is expanding into non-French varieties. We had a quick walk around the winery with assistant winemaker Hew Kinch while he spoke about Trinitys philosophy. Lots of wine to taste, and time is slipping by, so some notes are a bit cursory.
2008 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Arneis (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$19}
Nebulous white flower aromas. Light in body, this has some decent acidity, but still comes off with a slightly greasy texture, despite its savoury quality. Medium length dry finish. Some interest, certainly has potential.
2007 Trinity Hill Sauvignon Blanc (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 12%, NZ$19}
Soft and floral, with a greenish aspect to the nose. Fruity and almost oily on the palate; yet light-bodied, no obvious residual sugar. Interesting, and should hold for a few years.
2008 Trinity Hill Pinot Gris (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$29}
Grey and soft. A dash of old oak adds body on the palate; the flavours are still pretty neutral. Not much acid, not much body. Absolutely not worth the money.
2006 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Viognier (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$29}
Pleasant nose; the classic apricot character is not overdone, and theres a pleasant sharpness to the aromas. Dry, with soft acids and tannin, theres a thick dustiness to the fruit giving it quite a full body. Minimal oak treatment has helped the freshness, and the wine thankfully doesnt sag on the palate. Still, I wouldnt be holding it too much longer.
2006 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$29}
Easily the outstanding white in the portfolio. Sophisticated oak, biscuit/bread/yeast and stonefruit aromas. Dry on the palate, weighty in body yet all to scale; rich ripe cool-climate fruits, nicely balanced. The complete package.
2006 Trinity Hill High Country Pinot Noir (Hawkes Bay) {diam, 14%, NZ$39}
Simple fruity-cherry nose. Tight, clean and sour on the palate. Decent acid keeps to very fresh, almost tart, tannins are soft, light-medium weight and modest length finish. Perhaps another year or two will help unify all the parts.
2007 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {diam, 13.5%, NZ$29}
Displaying all the signs of a cool-climate heritage; white pepper & spice dominate the nose. The palate is light and chewy, its a dry, savoury food-style wine rather than contemplative. Kind of expensive
2007 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Tempranillo (Hawkes Bay) {diam, 14%, NZ$29}
A heroic effort which seems to need a focus. Its warmly spicy, with some subtle vanilla, but overall not especially varietal in its characteristics. The palate is a bit harsh and raw; tannic, certainly it needs time to calm down.
2005 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels The Gimlet Merlot blend (Hawkes Bay) {diam, 14%, NZ$29}
The clear value-for-money choice among the reds, this sweet raspberry-fruited wine has plenty of body and warmth, with plummy chocolate flavours, but all nicely-sized in a medium-bodied way, and with a persistent, not-too-sweet finish. 61% Merlot, 21% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot, and the two cabernets make up the rest. This is the wine to buy.
2002 Trinity Hill Gimlet Rd Cabernet/Merlot (Hawkes Bay) {cork, 14%, NZ$29}
A pleasantly mellow nose of blackcurrant and cigar box. Mostly medium-full in weight, still with plenty of tannins possibly too much for the fruit, which is starting to get distinctly herbal. Thing is, the finish doesnt really hold on as long as Id like; the nose is the best thing about the wine, and I wouldnt keep it longer.
2006 Trinity Hill Hommage Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {diam, 14%, NZ$120}
The aromatic and flavour profile of this seriously-priced wine is not significantly different to its little brother. The difference is in the depth of fruit, the polish of the tannins, and most of all, in the length of the finish. Theres a floral quality to the fruit despite the pepper and spice, but the memorable thing is the balance of the fruit and structural components. Ought to develop for years, but should also be two-thirds the price at most.
2007 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Noble Viognier (Hawkes Bay) {375ml, screwcap, 12%, NZ$25}
Sweet rich citric fruits with a botrytis overlay. You wouldnt pick this as viognier from the nose. Honeyed, soft and seductive on the palate, not too sweet, but not acidic enough to keep some flabbiness at bay. Moderate.
Back in the bus and travelling south-east, we have a pre-lunch appointment at
Vidal
winery in Hastings really in Hastings, the cellar door is as suburban as you could find with winemaker Hugh Crichton, who exactly resembles his publicity shot in the winery brochure, even down to the shirt he is wearing. Disconcerting. Vidal is part of the Villa Maria group, but the parent seems content to let them run their own race in all important respects.
2008 Vidal Riesling (Marlborough) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$18}
Sweet lemon and apple fruit aromas. Light medium body with some sweetness. Bath powder and talc flavours on the palate. Just enough acid to hold it together. Hugh explains you need acid and residual sugar about the same to stop the sweetness taking over this wine has sugar of 8.4g/L, and acid of 8.2g/L. It seems to work. Good to drink now but should age a little.
2008 Vidal Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) {screwcap, 13%, NZ$18}
Almost extreme nose of tart pungent gooseberries. My goodness. Oddly, the palate is not so polarising, managing some tropical/passionfruit flavours. Not so acidic as it threatened, being quite soft on the palate. Short finish. Very much a wine of two halves.
2007 Vidal Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$18}
Plenty of butter and cream notes with vanilla oak. Palate is creamy and ripe, but a bit simple. Too much malo for me (60%). Soft acid, finish fades fast. Not a fan.
2005 Vidal Reserve Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$30}
Similar style, although the fruit seems better able to handle the winemaker-heavy treatment. The genuinely fuller body is enlivened by appreciable stone fruit flavours. Theres a better length of finish too. Theres not much development, but I always think this is a style better drunk young.
2007 Vidal Reserve Viognier (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$30}
This could be a carbon copy of Trinity Hills effort. Same peachy/apricot flavours, soft acid, low tannins and oiliness. Theres a little mineral freshness on the palate, and minimal oak helps, but still its a style that doesnt quite hit any particular target for me.
2006 Vidal Gimblett Gravels Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$25}
Cool climate alert. Menthol, pepper, spice, spearmint. Nevertheless ripe and quite large on the palate; medium/full body, explosive pepper and floral fruit on the front palate, and then it recedes quickly. A short finish is the biggest disappointment here, although in a price context its a harsh criticism.
2006 Vidal Stopbank Pinot Noir (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.3%, NZ$40}
Drunk out of sequence! Floral, with jammy strawberry aromas that stop short of being too confected. Softly subtle oak (20-30% new) underpins a palate of warm ripe fruits, which manage to taste almost succulently bitter. Pretty good, although its a competitive price point in NZ. Only 300 cases made.
2005 Vidal Gimblett Gravels Reserve Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$55}
Dark ruby. A rich ripe nose of raspberry, pepper and seductive chocolate. Very intense, with fine strong tannins balanced with ripe fruit. A wine powerful and subtle at the same time. Long, sophisticated finish, with wonderful balance the full length of the palate. Only 400 cases made. Worth buying (and I did!)
2006 Vidal Merlot Cabernet (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.9%, NZ$30}
Brambly, herbaceous and curranty, an impression probably exaggerated after tasting the last wine! A pleasant well-balanced palate of at least medium-bodied weight dominated by fruit, but ultimately a bit simple and with a too-short finish.
2002 Vidal Merlot Reserve Merlot Cabernet (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$40}
An aging Bordeaux nose of cassis and cigars. A medium weight in its structure, this wine is aging perhaps prematurely but elegantly. Its nicely balanced, and thats its chief asset. Secondary cabernet and merlot flavours with fresh acid still, its definitely a drink now proposition.
And that wraps up the morning session. Remarkably (sensibly), theres no alcohol with lunch at the Opera Kitchen, adjacent to the Spanish mission style Hawkes Bay Opera House. Yes, theres a Hawkes Bay Opera House. After lunch we head to
Esk Valley
far to the north of Napier, where we were hosted by longtime winemaker Gordon Russell who obsessively produces an eclectic and eccentric collection of exclusively Hawkes Bay wines from one of the oldest original wineries rather resembling an art deco 1930s dairy in the region. Esk has 23 open-topped concrete fermenters dating from 75 years ago which they still use to make their reds. Total production of the estate is around 25-30,000 cases; this is another hands-off, Villa Maria-owned operation.
2007 Esk Valley Riesling (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 10.5%, NZ$19}
A clear-greenish colour. The nose is subtle, a mix of chalk and musk. The palate is a little floury, a little oily, yet remains fresh and lively; an interesting and almost unique style. The current approach was arrived at after repeated failures to successfully produce an Alsatian style of Riesling. There is 15g of residual sugar, and enough acid to balance it. Gordon now picks on acidity, not sugar, and no acid additions are made in the winemaking process. This is a pretty successful riesling along with the Martinborough Jackson block the pick of the week.
2007 Esk Valley Sauvignon Blanc (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$19}
A full rich style, with a nose of lychees and guava, a fruit-salad-like palate with only a minimal herbal note. The dash of sugar gives body to the wine rather than sweetness; still the finish remains in the short-medium spectrum.
2007 Esk Valley Chenin Blanc (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13%, NZ$19}
Restrained savoury notes, some perfumed musk; the nose is a bit hard to pin down. A wild yeast ferment and 20% old oak treatment give a wine with lovely persistent acid length supporting honey and pear fruit flavours of medium weight with a medium-long finish. Tastes nearly dry too. How will it age? I wish I knew
2007 Esk Valley Pinot Gris (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$23}
This lemon coloured wine smells of lightly spiced pear, an aroma which follows through onto the palate. Flavours are a touch anonymous, but the rather full structure carries the alcohol well. A good winter wine for non-red drinkers!
2007 Esk Valley Verdelho (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%}
This is apparently NZs only Verdelho. It has an almost spirity, Soave-like nose. The faintly off-dry palate tastes like a blend of pinot gris and viognier with a splash of grapefruit. A dash of residual sugar counteracts the bitterness from the skins. Quite rich in texture, with medium weight and length of finish. Good to see the alcohol well under control.
2008 Esk Valley Ros Merlot/Malbec (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$18}
Light pink-crimson. Fresh spiced strawberry fruit, from the Malbec, presumably. Made with short skin contact, rather than a saignee style of wine. Not excessively sweet in flavour, but still needs a good chill.
2005 Esk Valley Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$30}
Plenty of lifted white pepper and sandalwood aromas. The palate blooms initially with cherry and spice fruits but then fades quickly. Towards the lighter end of the weight spectrum, its quite well-balanced overall, but still a slightly short finish lets it down a bit.
2006 Esk Valley Reserve Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$60}
Odd that its a younger vintage than the regular release, but with only 250 cases made I guess they sell out pretty quickly. This is inky dark in colour. The palate is rich and closed and semi-impenetrable. The finest of tannins feature on the palate along with medium weight velvety ripe cool-climate fruits and a persistently long finish which goes most of the way to justifying the price. This is made from specific vineyard plots, rather being a barrel selection (or simply the regular wine oaked for longer), and it shows in the very distinct differences from its humbler sibling.
2006 Esk Valley Merlot Cabernet Malbec (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14%, NZ$23}
Cherry/plums and jammy fruits, but not extroverted, rather calm and confident. On the palate theres a lightly herbal touch which gives it a very claret-like air. Medium acid and tannins fit well, theres a little old US oak in the background, but well-integrated. At worst youd say the finish is a little short, but really, this was probably the bargain red buy of the trip. I wish we could have tasted the Reserve bottling.
Tasting over, we return to the Havelock motel for a touch of titivation, then its off to Craggy Ranges Giants Winery for the final dinner of the trip. We arrive at the stunningly situated Giants to the south-east of Havelock at 5pm for a tour of the premises. The attention to detail is staggering; everything has been done with an eye on quality, or at least seemingly without regard for cost. Almost without regard for cost Craggy are one of the few Kiwi wineries to charge for tastings at the cellar door. I dont know exactly whats on offer for tasting in normal circumstances, but I find it hard to believe that even the most finicky visitor couldnt find something theyd happily purchase. Walking through the offices, we enter the Sophia winery. Purpose-built for Steve Smith to make its eponymous wine (and presumably to take visitors breath away) its an echoey cylindrical hall, with a small brass plaque in the very centre of the floor commemorating the opening in 2005 by the local Maori tribe and Sir Edmund Hillary. From here we proceed through to the low-roofed barrel hall, and then into a more mundane (but underground) part of the winery for the final staged tasting of the trip where 200-odd Spieglau glasses awaited us
With the tag-team of TJ and Adrian giving us a bit of insight, we assessed these:
2008 One Tree Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) {screwcap, A$14}
2007 Wild Rock Strugglers Flat Pinot Noir (Central Otago) {screwcap, A$27}
These two wines are a special bottling for a Sydney retailer. The sauvignon is sharp and fresh, with zesty acid, and carrying only the tiniest touch of sugar. A fresh and simple, but worthy easy drinker. The pinot looks a little dull in the glass but offers lifted chewy sour cherry fruits on the nose, and a slightly stalky herbal character on the palate. Its bit angular but satisfying anyway, and very young, of course, and both wines look pretty good in A$ terms (taxes included!).
2008 Craggy Range Te Muna Rd Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Martinborough) {screwcap}
The full spectrum of classic NZ sauvignon fruits is on display here, from the green fruit-asparagus style, right through to the tropical fruit salad. Crystal-like clarity on the palate; with a mix of sweet and sour fruit, sharp but not unnatural acid and the clincher a long persistent finish. Top shelf sauvignon, no question.
2007 Craggy Range C3 Kidnappers Vineyard Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 14.2%}
Not much to add to the note from yesterdays lunch; fine stone fruits, the barest hint of vanilla oak. Balanced somewhat towards the front palate, but retains some subtlety of mouthfeel. Clean and fresh and appetising.
2006 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Le Beaux Cailloux Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.8%}
The nose is the full orchestra figs, nuts, stones & grapefruit. Add leesy notes, subtle French oak. The texture is creamy and smoky, with dusty tannins, and a persistent finish. Not oversized, but very polished and correct. Ive rarely tasted a 100% malolactic-finished wine with this degree of freshness and tang.
2007 Craggy Range Zebra Vineyard Pinot Noir (Bendigo/Central Otago) {screwcap, 14.1%}
From a 20ha vineyard on the South Island. Likely to sell for around $A58. A deep crimson/purple colour. A nose of spicy berries and violets. The palate adds flavours of smoky sour red fruits and a vague leafiness. Attractive richness on the mid-palate and a medium length finish. Its very young but even now no fruit-bomb. Also carries its alcohol without a hint of warmth. Terrific potential, although drinkable early.
2006 Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Pinot Noir (Martinborough) {screwcap, 13.8%}
This looks way older than the Otago offering. Its also smells much older, with earthy aromas, wet leaves, and forest floor aromas. The texture is light, with a dusty savoury aspect to the fruit. Pleasantly persistent, although I remain a little freaked out by the colour. Its desperately hard to make a valid comparison to Wednesdays lunch-time bottle, Ive got to say. Context is everything, isnt it?
2006 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Block 14 Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {screwcap, 13.4%, NZ$45}
Purple/blue. Violets, white pepper, flowers. Lifted and pure. The initial palate impression is of fine blueberry essence, but not in a sweet or cloying Barossa Valley kind-of-way. Rather its all dry and savoury, which is not to preclude the silky/velvety mouthfeel, fine persistent tannins and lengthy finish. I was impressed enough to buy a couple of bottles of this the next day.
2006 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Le Sol Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {cork, 13.8%, NZ$90}
Dark purple/blue. Inky-smelling black pepper. The spectrum of fruit flavours in much blacker here than in the Block 14. Super-fine iron-like tannins still allow a velvety feel to the overall texture. A powerhouse, but with some subtlety. Steers a well balanced line between South Australian and Northern Rhone styles of the grape. Remains expensive, however.
2005 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Sophia Merlot/Cab Franc (Hawkes Bay) {cork, 14.1%, NZ$60}
Nearly black in colour. Smoky (not oaky) and leafy (but not green) aromas. Distant echoes of St Emilion. A cinnamon/sandalwood touch to the fruit. Lovely coverage of the palate; the structural components all blend together well to create a harmonious, if youthful whole. Served very cold, which tended to suppress it a little.
The tasting concluded, we head back up to ground level and wandered about the front lawn enjoying the sunset over the Te Mata Range while sipping
2004 Pelorus Vintage Brut
Clean & biscuity on the nose, apple-like and fresh on the palate. Quite large, coarse bubbles, medium acid; an OK wine, but nothing all that special.
Finally, we climb upstairs to our table at Terrir, Craggys award-winning restaurant. Sadly, Ive lost my dinner menu, so cant list the outstanding dishes. We did, however, get to sample the winner from yesterdays pinot-blending competition while Adrian gave us a quick run-down on our blending skills. For what its worth, the blend my partner and I made rated third, although Adrian reckoned there wasnt much to separate the top four wines.
The dinner wines were drawn from the pre-dinner tasting (so no further notes from me), but there were a few new offerings for one reason or another.
2006 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels The Quarry Cabernet (Hawkes Bay) {cork, 14.2%}
Barely a couple of hundred cases of this were made. The name commemorates the never-fulfilled destiny of the Gimblett Gravels. Impenetrably dark colour; a nose of blackcurrant essence. Right on the varietal money. The palate is inky and closed. A sort of suppressed fruitiness is apparent, peeking through walls of fine tannin. The wine is so well-proportioned this is my overwhelming impression of all the Craggy Range wines were tried this week, a sensation that above all balance is their hallmark. This wine rises only a little above medium weight, but the finish is oh-so-long. One to keep.
2006 Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Noble Sauvignon Blanc/Riesling (Martinborough) {375ml, cork, 11%}
A mix of botrytised sauvignon and late-pick riesling. A sweetly perfumed nose of honey and quince precedes a mostly simple palate of citric/apricot flavours. Its moderately sweet, but its fairly light weight stops it becoming too cloying; the acid seems a bit modest to consider this a cellaring proposition. A quaffing dessert wine, if there is such a thing.
2002 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Le Sol Syrah (Hawkes Bay) {cork, 15%}
A surreptitious purchase from the wine list courtesy of Greg, I believe. Although still a dark and deep colour, the nose is showing signs of development; there are earthy hunter/burgundy-like aromas, although without the bretty stink sometimes seen in those wines There is still ripe spicy shiraz fruit, of course, but its definitely evolving. The palate is still quite tightly-wound, not at all hot, and shows signs of good things to come. Still something of an iron fist in a velvet glove; will be a fascinating wine at ten years, I reckon.
2001 Chateau Pichon Baron Longueville (Paulliac)
Some of us decamped to the bar after dinner, and perusing the wine list - as you do prompted some Rotters to display great generosity and start buying bottles to try. In reality after a week of mostly younger Hawkes Bay reds, older Bordeaux was always going to look a bit odd, but here it is! This wine tastes very dusty indeed, all bony tannins laced with flecks of fruit, and really needs a meat dish to show well.
2000 Chateau Leoville Barton (St Julien)
After the Paulliac proved something of a disappointment, the list was perused again. Seeing the 2000, 01 & 02 vintages of this wine all at the same price was a red flag to a bull. This offered similarly fine yet prominent tannins, but was garlanded with much fleshier red berry fruit, a better balanced structure, and longer, better balanced finish. Its still not really a first choice for after-dinner drinking, though!
And thats it for the weekend; one of the greatest Noble Rotter trips away. 2009 will be a very hard act to follow. Saturday we went our separate ways; some sneaking away at dawn, the bulk of us sharing a mid-morning ride to the airport with a brief detour through the Art Deco glories of Napier. I found a very good bottle shop in Havelock before we left, and can also confirm TJs tip that with a boarding pass discount, The Cellar duty-free bottle shop at Auckland airport is a very good place to buy Kiwi wine, if youve planned your hand luggage accordingly!
Thanks to Rachael for all the detail legwork, and of course to TJ and Kim for their own time and Craggy Ranges hospitality. It was very generous, but also a brilliant way to demonstrate the commitment that CR has to wine in New Zealand; and to applying standards of quality above all else in the quest to realise a properly long-term vision of supreme achievement. In an era of dodgy corporate takeovers and short-term con artists, to see an enterprise built with an only the best will do attitude from the ground up is a sight to behold.
cheers,
Graeme
Background and disclaimer: The above is the trip report I wrote for the Noble Rotters, the informal 11-man monthly wine dinner group of which Ive been a member for 9 years. To celebrate the groups 20th anniversary, the annual weekend-away (with some spouses; about 17 people all up) morphed into a 5-day trip to New Zealand, facilitated by one members wine-trade relationship with the Peabody family, co-owners of Craggy Range. The rest of us are not ITB in any way. We paid all our own expenses; airfares, accommodation, transfers, meals. Pure tasting samples were provided free, in the normal way, but Craggy Range wines with meals we paid for probably at around wholesale price. Some small portions of text not wine related inappropriate to a public forum I have deleted.