Click here to down a PDF verison of Peter's Picks from the Hospitality Magazine- Oct 2011
Volcanic Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Fresh as a three-month-old baby, on the right track but a little steadying to go as the paleness is replaced with more depth in both colour and body. A nice alternative to the 2010s and will be good drinking by Christmas.
Volcanic Hills Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2010
‘A few barrels made on the request of our wives,’ one partner says. Fermented and left alone in oak until bottling. It has worked well, better than the casual approach implies. A very likeable, sensible style to work with dinner and pre-dinner antipasto.
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Marlborough Riesling 2010
Fairly dry, flavoursome and very aromatic with a delicious texture giving user-friendliness as well as combining perfectly with white meats and food from the sea. A nice afternoon style on the bar also. A wine in fine form with years of top drinking ahead.
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2009
Very nicely balanced wine with its spicy pepper and texture influenced finely by tannin and oak. This is a dry wine to open further over the next two or three years and its palate-interest will grow each month. Partly from Gimblett Gravels no doubt, part from different soil. Enjoy watching it evolve.
Villa Maria Private Bin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011
The mainstream Villa Maria label, fresh as yesterday and abounding in energy and good sauvignon flavours.A wine in good form already, great over summer as a tangy, refreshing white.
Seifried Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Nicely herbaceous sauvignon blanc carrying the New Zealand traditional characters while fresh and vibrant. Look forward to a cheerful summer with this wine, with or without food, so a great by-the-glass wine for bar or restaurant.
Seifried Nelson Pinot Gris 2011
Nicely supple wine while young, abounding in generous fruit to come out as the year finishes and some delightful drinking through 2012. Not quite dry, very people-friendly and versatile to fit with a wide range of food and moments.
Morton Estate ‘The Mercure’ 2009
Merlot-high blend of Bordeaux varieties; clean, sound and true to style. Very food-friendly from pizza to steak or roast and reaching a satisfying balance to make it fine drinking this summer, yet no hurry into 2013.
Morton Estate (white label) Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2009
Famous label from Morton Estate’s first days; barrel fermented and well spined with the fruit weight to match rich courses and sauces.Just getting going, will serve well into 2014.
BlackStiltWaitaki Valley Pinot Noir 2009
Fresh yet refined in its personality, a well-flavoured wine with plenty to say in the wine glass, and also with more to come follow longer bottle-age. Should be excellent by late 2012.
BlackStiltWaitaki Valley Pinot Gris 2010
Supple, vibrant drop of sound pinot gris flavours; perhaps a useful signal about what this area can do with this variety although the regional style will take an extra year to fill and completely satisfy. This is very much on the right track at 15 months and the summer warmth to come should set it off very well. Different, full on interest, into 2015.
Blackenbrook Nelson Montepulciano 2009 $27
Nicely deep in colour and medium bodied with plenty of flavour strength. A very promising food wine for this vintage and the future vintages with enough depth and fine tannin to ensure a satisfying wine. No hurry for this one into 2015.
Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Noir Rose 2011 $22
Lovely summer style, near dry with the echo of strawberries giving a nice relaxing touch to the freshness. A wine with a lot of drinkability already.
MillsReefReserve Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Very nice wine, serious enough to add some tone to the fruit yet balanced to perfection to give a lovely textured mouth-feel which works with the flavours. Excellent drinking already, through into 2013 at least.
Ra Nui Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Sound Marlborough style, working well now. Not assertive or too racy after 18 months and a nice relaxing glass of wine.
Ra Nui Marlborough Pinot Gris 2010
Clean and sound if not a big Pinot Gris fruit statement. Dry, food-friendly and ready to be enjoyed.
Ra Nui Marlborough Chardonnay 2007
Coming towards five years, this shows very well; a defined chardonnay statement with some finesse and a clean, serious overtone. Oak has melded nicely with time and we are seeing this wine at its best now, through into 2013.
Framingham Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2009
Just off-dry, supple and vibrant style with the varietal spices very much present yet not overdone. A nicely-ready (no hurry for two more years) all-purpose wine.
Framingham Select Marlborough Riesling 2010
Low alcohol (8%), which is part of the spatlese style the label suggests yet this is not all. If anything, this wine has more body and weight than most spatlesen. An easy-drinking medium style with lots to say with its rich fruit yet lovely river-stone tones.A wine with long life and much enjoyment over the next few years.
Man o’ War Exiled Pinot Gris 2010
Top pinot gris label, grapes grown on Ponui Island off Waiheke. El;egant style for this variety, showing finesse and texture. Will be a popular wine over the next two years with a high drinkability rating and some class.
Man o’ War Waiheke Island Valhalla 2010
Chardonnay’s best barrels from the Man o’ War collection. Tastes very well, plenty of body, the oak condiment not overdone and the wine has a nice balance and fruit statement as a result. Quite mouth-filling whilst retaining a subtle tone; very well handled.
WynnsCoonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
The famous ‘black label’ cabernet in its 53rd vintage.Shining well with the Coonawarra strength for this variety radiating nicely. Good body, excellent flavours and a lovely mouth-feel.
12,000 Miles Gladstone Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (Gladstone Vineyards brand, Trish)
Another of Gladstone Vineyards’ gently under-stated styles, true to variety yet not in-the-face.A sound, clean-fresh Sauvignon just unfolding.Fairly dry and food-friendly – into 2013.
12,000 Miles Gladstone Pinot Noir 2010
Very nicely warm-textured style, plenty of life and working well now.A wine from the home block with generous flavours and showing very good value. No hurry into 2014 at least.
Saint Clair Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $22
The regular Saint Clair label with Matt Thomson’s yeast use showing a degree of sweaty character as usual whilst the wine is young.Thus quite a potent wine at six months, a style that has worked well for this Saint Clair variety in the past. Fresh, fairly dry, very tasty and very much a food partner, a wine to show best perhaps through 2012-13 but personal tastes vary of course.
Saint Clair Marlborough Chardonnay 2010 $22
Nice traditional Marlborough style, designed to be enjoyed while fresh and with dinner. Label suggests seafood with cream-based sauces as a good match. Sound, dependable drinking.
Brancott Estate Reserve Sparkling Pinot Gris
Well-constructed wine from Waipara vineyards, holding the pinot gris characters with the liveliness of the bubble. Excellent aperitif or summer lunch wine, just off dry and a moderate 12% alcohol working well.
Brancott Estate ‘B’ Brancott Marlborough Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (375ml)
Lovely rich botrytis-affected wine in a sweet, dessert or soft-cheese style.Young and fresh on release, nicely intense and perfectly balanced. This is not a sauvignon statement as much as a sweet white, at least at this stage, but no doubt both qualities are interreacting together.
Coopers CreekGimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Nicely warm style, gaining heaps from being almost five years old. Edges rounded, the spine of the wine not lost and the depth of ripe fruit from gravelly soils shows well.
Coopers Creek Pinot Gris 2009
Nicely developed and ready at almost three years, a firmly spined quite mouth-filling pinot gris.
Clos Henri Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Light and fresh, a true 2010 in that sense, flavoursome and refreshing.A drink-anytime wine which will fit well on the bar by the glass as well as with lighter courses. No hurry; into 2013.
Clos Henri Marlborough Pinot Noir 2008
Delicious style, a serious statement with plenty of life ahead of it.Lots of depth to the fruit character and the wine looks and feels very impressive.