Sunday, May 11, 2003
As many of you may know, I've been a fan for the last few years of wines from New Zealand. Besides offering tremendous bargains, the wines are being made by producers who are taking their winemaking very seriously. They are without a doubt producing some of the best non-French Sauvignon Blancs in the world. Of late I've found that even their wines made from traditional Alsatian and German grapes seem to appeal to me and my almost steady diet of PacRim Fusion cuisine or even with cheese based dishes like those from San Diego's newest dining hot spot,. 8-0-8, or the always edgy cuisine of Roy's. I'm finding the same enthusiasm for the New Zealand wines that I originally had for the wines of Australia, which for more than 15 years I've been a fan of. Besides always being consistently well made, well priced and capable of aging, the wines from Oz stand up to a such a wide array of food flavors that one has to be on another planet not to be looking in that direction for food friendly, value priced wines. Best of all, the Australian reds always seem to be particularly tasty with steaks and chops from my favorite steak house, Flemings.
From New Zealand, here are a few of the more recent wines of note..
2000 Cairnbrea Vineyards Marlborough Pinot Gris
A wine that is perfect match with the new Blue Cheese Soufflé Salad dosed with Honey, found on the menu at 8-0-8. It even has the consistency, smoky aromas and flavors to pair up with the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup that has white truffles and bacon in it. Rich and creamy, this Pinot Gris has a nice butterscotch, pear and apricot flavor range, and a medium dry sweetness level.
2001 Huia Marlborough Pinot Gris
With a bouquet of nutmeg, mandarin oranges and pears on the nose, this more delicate and aromatic white has a nice balance, and smoky/herbaceous and fruit intensity to it. Well made, ripe and ready, here's something that can stand up to Tuna Tartare, Carpaccio of Salmon or even an English Stilton cheese.
2000 Sherwood Estate Canterbury Riesling
Here's an amazing bottle of ripe and tasty wine that is full of lime, lemon, guava and pineapple flavors from the get go. It matches up perfectly with the new Mineshaft Blue Cheese Salad at 8-0-8 as the wine's tart palate flavors and citrus like base melded perfectly with the orange slices and lettuce greens in the balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The wine is not quite yet at peak, but it's refreshing style, light and zippy flavors,makes this a delightful spring/summer aperitif as well as being a fancy food wine to boot.
2002 Highfield Sauvignon Blanc
Downright sensational, and one of the more expensive SB's from down under, at about $16-18 a bottle retail, this wine has all the makings of replacing the Craggy Range as my favorite Sauvignon Blanc on the market from KiwiLand. Loaded with spicy fruit, sandalwood, dried figs, Kiwi, lemon, pineapple and grapefruit flavors, this wine also carries with it a major degree of elegance found in only the finest of Sancerre's.
2000 Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Noir
Every time I open another bottle of this wine, or find it by the glass, this has to be hands down the best NZ Pinot Noir exported to the USA. Earthy Burgundian nose, and a very smooth California Central Coast flavor palate makes this wine a real winner. While I don't know how long lived the wine will be, it is providing immediate drinking pleasure right now.
2000 Huia Marlborough Pinot Noir
I've had this wine twice and it just doesn't hit me right. While it has a nice and typical Pinot Noir bouquet, it falls short on the palate as the fruit is too dry and the flavor range too narrow. Stick with the Lawson's or Palliser Pinot Noir for a better experience.
Crossing over to Australia, where some of the best red wine values seem to be coming from these days I'd be totally remiss if I didn't draw attention to one of the best $10.00 (by the half dozen from Southern Hemisphere Wine and Spirits) reds on the market, the 2001 Devils Lair "Fifth Leg" Margaret River Red Blend. This wine with its cool sounding name, attractive packaging and elegantly shaped bottle, is the new winner and the downright bargain of the year, replacing the 2000 Castle Rock Napa Cabernet Sauvignon for that honor.
2001 Devils Lair "Fifth Leg" Margaret River Red Blend
Made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and a small amount of Cabernet Franc, this Southwestern Australian red has a Bordeaux style, is built for aging (if you can keep your hands off of them) and shows the typical big bones, lush fruit style that turned me onto wines from the Margaret River area in years past when I was buying the delectable Merlot made by Evans and Tate. At present the wine is showing very well, but I suspect, even with it's smooth and silky structure that is already apparent today, its gentle rolling dusty tannins, gobs of berry and cherry fruit and ripe flavors has a long way to go. I already bought two cases of this and suggest that any bargain hunting collector of serious wine takes a stab at finding this wine. An impressive debut for a winery that has yet to be reviewed in the USA.
1999 Pirramimma Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale
Another Southwestern Australian red, the rich, deep, semi-sweet cherry flavored wine has delightful aromas of earth, chocolate and cherry fruit. This is my kind of Cabernet, where the length, body and elegance all seem in perfect harmony. The big forward fruit style, and delicate use of oak, presents an Aussie Red that is neither over oaked nor tannic and is a delight all by itself or with some of the savory grilled meats and chops at Flemings.
2000 D'Arenberg Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale Southwestern Australia
Do you sense a theme here......? Well, another excellent wine, though a tad too young at this point, but who cares. Despite the tannins running through the wine, the big, bold fruit flavors of blackberries, currants, chewy cherry and raspberries are enough to keep you drinking this wine with glee. That said, at half the Price, I'll take the Pirramimma hands down.
1997 Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz
Years ago, Lehmann was one of the first Aussie red producers that I began buying in large quantities for two reasons. The first is that the wines are attractively priced, while the second is their longevity. If there is a third reason, its the fact that if you lay them down, they end up outperforming many wines priced higher, long after the critics have underrated them due to their big, oaky, and sometimes tannic style. The 97, like some of the 98's I've had from this larger producer, have maintained that type of performance streak. Here's a wine with very appealing dark berry and cherry fruit, a hint of black pepper and soft, almost saddle leather taste to the wine. Is it Rhone like? No. It's Australia and I like it that way.
1997 Trevor Jones Barossa Dry Grown Shiraz
From one of my favorite producers in the Barossa Valley comes this big, muscular all Syrah wine with all the flavors you expect in a aged Northern Rhone wine. In many ways this wine reminds me of a Cornas, with the herbs, meat and black pepper on the nose. Already drinking well, I suspect that four or five more years of proper cellaring will not harm this wine in the least. Flavors of mint, cherry, vanilla (from the oak I suspect), a touch of leather and some ripened figs makes this wine a charming winner.
Cheers,
Andy Abramson
E-Mail: aabramson@winescene.com
From New Zealand, here are a few of the more recent wines of note..
2000 Cairnbrea Vineyards Marlborough Pinot Gris
A wine that is perfect match with the new Blue Cheese Soufflé Salad dosed with Honey, found on the menu at 8-0-8. It even has the consistency, smoky aromas and flavors to pair up with the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup that has white truffles and bacon in it. Rich and creamy, this Pinot Gris has a nice butterscotch, pear and apricot flavor range, and a medium dry sweetness level.
2001 Huia Marlborough Pinot Gris
With a bouquet of nutmeg, mandarin oranges and pears on the nose, this more delicate and aromatic white has a nice balance, and smoky/herbaceous and fruit intensity to it. Well made, ripe and ready, here's something that can stand up to Tuna Tartare, Carpaccio of Salmon or even an English Stilton cheese.
2000 Sherwood Estate Canterbury Riesling
Here's an amazing bottle of ripe and tasty wine that is full of lime, lemon, guava and pineapple flavors from the get go. It matches up perfectly with the new Mineshaft Blue Cheese Salad at 8-0-8 as the wine's tart palate flavors and citrus like base melded perfectly with the orange slices and lettuce greens in the balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The wine is not quite yet at peak, but it's refreshing style, light and zippy flavors,makes this a delightful spring/summer aperitif as well as being a fancy food wine to boot.
2002 Highfield Sauvignon Blanc
Downright sensational, and one of the more expensive SB's from down under, at about $16-18 a bottle retail, this wine has all the makings of replacing the Craggy Range as my favorite Sauvignon Blanc on the market from KiwiLand. Loaded with spicy fruit, sandalwood, dried figs, Kiwi, lemon, pineapple and grapefruit flavors, this wine also carries with it a major degree of elegance found in only the finest of Sancerre's.
2000 Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Noir
Every time I open another bottle of this wine, or find it by the glass, this has to be hands down the best NZ Pinot Noir exported to the USA. Earthy Burgundian nose, and a very smooth California Central Coast flavor palate makes this wine a real winner. While I don't know how long lived the wine will be, it is providing immediate drinking pleasure right now.
2000 Huia Marlborough Pinot Noir
I've had this wine twice and it just doesn't hit me right. While it has a nice and typical Pinot Noir bouquet, it falls short on the palate as the fruit is too dry and the flavor range too narrow. Stick with the Lawson's or Palliser Pinot Noir for a better experience.
Crossing over to Australia, where some of the best red wine values seem to be coming from these days I'd be totally remiss if I didn't draw attention to one of the best $10.00 (by the half dozen from Southern Hemisphere Wine and Spirits) reds on the market, the 2001 Devils Lair "Fifth Leg" Margaret River Red Blend. This wine with its cool sounding name, attractive packaging and elegantly shaped bottle, is the new winner and the downright bargain of the year, replacing the 2000 Castle Rock Napa Cabernet Sauvignon for that honor.
2001 Devils Lair "Fifth Leg" Margaret River Red Blend
Made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and a small amount of Cabernet Franc, this Southwestern Australian red has a Bordeaux style, is built for aging (if you can keep your hands off of them) and shows the typical big bones, lush fruit style that turned me onto wines from the Margaret River area in years past when I was buying the delectable Merlot made by Evans and Tate. At present the wine is showing very well, but I suspect, even with it's smooth and silky structure that is already apparent today, its gentle rolling dusty tannins, gobs of berry and cherry fruit and ripe flavors has a long way to go. I already bought two cases of this and suggest that any bargain hunting collector of serious wine takes a stab at finding this wine. An impressive debut for a winery that has yet to be reviewed in the USA.
1999 Pirramimma Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale
Another Southwestern Australian red, the rich, deep, semi-sweet cherry flavored wine has delightful aromas of earth, chocolate and cherry fruit. This is my kind of Cabernet, where the length, body and elegance all seem in perfect harmony. The big forward fruit style, and delicate use of oak, presents an Aussie Red that is neither over oaked nor tannic and is a delight all by itself or with some of the savory grilled meats and chops at Flemings.
2000 D'Arenberg Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale Southwestern Australia
Do you sense a theme here......? Well, another excellent wine, though a tad too young at this point, but who cares. Despite the tannins running through the wine, the big, bold fruit flavors of blackberries, currants, chewy cherry and raspberries are enough to keep you drinking this wine with glee. That said, at half the Price, I'll take the Pirramimma hands down.
1997 Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz
Years ago, Lehmann was one of the first Aussie red producers that I began buying in large quantities for two reasons. The first is that the wines are attractively priced, while the second is their longevity. If there is a third reason, its the fact that if you lay them down, they end up outperforming many wines priced higher, long after the critics have underrated them due to their big, oaky, and sometimes tannic style. The 97, like some of the 98's I've had from this larger producer, have maintained that type of performance streak. Here's a wine with very appealing dark berry and cherry fruit, a hint of black pepper and soft, almost saddle leather taste to the wine. Is it Rhone like? No. It's Australia and I like it that way.
1997 Trevor Jones Barossa Dry Grown Shiraz
From one of my favorite producers in the Barossa Valley comes this big, muscular all Syrah wine with all the flavors you expect in a aged Northern Rhone wine. In many ways this wine reminds me of a Cornas, with the herbs, meat and black pepper on the nose. Already drinking well, I suspect that four or five more years of proper cellaring will not harm this wine in the least. Flavors of mint, cherry, vanilla (from the oak I suspect), a touch of leather and some ripened figs makes this wine a charming winner.
Cheers,
Andy Abramson
E-Mail: aabramson@winescene.com
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