TN's from '07, written up in '08 - Printable Version +- WineBoard (https://www.wines.com/wineboard) +-- Forum: TASTING NOTES & WINE SPECIFIC FORUMS (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-200.html) +--- Forum: Australia/New Zealand/South Africa (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-16.html) +--- Thread: TN's from '07, written up in '08 (/thread-8325.html)

- Skeeter - 12-31-2007 Right, so where were we? I was about two-thirds of the way through my last batch of TN’s (And about a third of the way through an excellent bottle of Waipara Hills Pinot Noir) when I picked up what was either a mild case of gastric ‘flu, or a decent dose of food poisoning. Whichever one it was, it sucked. Since I could barely look at food, let alone vino, the remainder of the pinot was donated to the in-laws. And the TN’s went on the back burner. But after a bit of an enforced booze-break, I felt much better. Of course, by that time it was the pre-Christmas too-many-things-to-do-at-once period. And so, on 1/1/08, let’s FINALLY get back into it. Lindemans 1999 Reserve Methode Traditionelle: A blast from the past here… part of a collection of old, unsellable stock distributed amongst the staff of one of my several jobs. (Mostly mid-priced Aussie whites, some of which will probably be past the point of no return. I was really interested in trying a five-year-old grenache rose, just to see how it held up. Not too well, in the end. I donated most of the bottle to the kitchen sink.) This still had plenty of life in it… so much so I lost control of the cork and bounced it off the kitchen window. It’s drinking pretty well for a seven-year-old Aussie sparkler, even if it’s lost a little on the finish. Quite a nutty flavour, with some gentle fizz on the tongue. My wife cast a dissenting vote,however, not liking it at all. Right, let’s return to the notes I took at the Fine Wine Delivery Company’s last Wine Sale tasting: 2004 Richmond Grove Riesling: Staying in the land of Oz, a big and floral example of South Australian Riesling. Quite a pronounced kerosene aroma and a very dry and citrusy body with plenty of life in it. Good, but you might want to hold it a little longer for maximum effect. Deutz NV Methode Traditionelle: A widely-available Marlborough sparkler, but oddly enough the first time I’d tried it. Worth the wait, I’d say. Dry and complex, with nice biscuity/toasty flavours. Big Tick from me, although I really have been in a Methode Mood recently. (Their sparkling rose’ is also supposed to be excellent. And since we just acquired some for the store, is on my ever-expanding “should try” list.) 2005 Church Road Chardonnay: I’ve always had a soft spot for Church Road, and they didn’t disappoint. Very old-school nose of buttery oak, smooth and full. Plenty of power on the palate. Not one for the “new-school”, low-oak, fruit-bomb chardy fans. But hey, I’ve never been in the ABC Club. 2006 Bilancia Pinot Gris: This had been given partial oak treatment to add body, and a little residual sugar was still in there. Just not enough palate weight to excite me, though. Calling the ABC Club, you’ll probably love it. 2005 Mills Reef Syrah: Very plummy, spicy nose. Medium-bodied style, with lots of red berry flavours, a good sprinkling of pepper and a soft tannic structure. Very drinkable. 2006 Mills Reef Reserve Cabernet/Merlot: I decided not to be influenced by this wines numerous awards displayed prominently on the tasting table. But, allow me to quote my notes directly. “Wow! Superb! Full-bodied, ripe, intense, tons of fruit, great tannic structure, spice, excellent length!” That’s a lot of exclamation points. (And the Big Tick at the end was probably the biggest on the page.) Either I really like or the preceding 19 wines had softened my palate (and brain) up a little. There’s only one way to find out. Onwards! 2005 Mills Reef Elspeth Syrah: Deep ruby in the glass, with an almost inky centre. Warm and ripe, tons of character and a nice drying finish. Superbly balanced, which is more than I can say for me at this stage of the tasting. Excellent stuff. Mills Reef is doing something right in the last few years. 2005 Mills Reef Elspeth Cabernet Sauvignon: Well, that’s a cab sav all right! Dry and tannic, with some tingly oak predominating. (Although there’s some fruit buried in there somewhere.) Give it a little time, methinks. Good. 2006 “The Edge” Pinot Noir: An entry-level label from Escarpment. I’ve tried their awe-inspiring “Kupe” pinot noir once before. This is no Kupe. Very light, very short, very much not me. This is not the pinot you’re looking for. Move along. Move along. 2007 Craggy Range Riesling: Lifted floral nose, almost perfumed. Powerful and dry, with masses of lemon/lime flavours that last for weeks. Excellent! As a dry Riesling fan, an obvious Big Tick recipient here. 2006 Bannock Brae “Goldfields” Pinot Noir: The little brother to Bannock Braes medal-collecting “Barrel Selection” pinot. My first note reads “What the hell?” due to the remarkable nose… the first thing that popped into my head on taking a whiff was “Who burnt the whole wheat toast?”. The body wasn’t as intense as that funky nose indicated, but it was well-rounded and nicely spiced. Very drinkable, even though the aroma threw me for a loop. - TheEngineer - 12-31-2007 Nice notes! I did not know that Deutz produced in Marlborough?....though this is listed under Pernod versus Deutz Champagne listing under its own house. Do you know if they are related? - hotwine - 12-31-2007 Nice notes, Skeets. Thanks for taking the time, and welcome back to the land of the living. - Skeeter - 01-01-2008 Deutz is a brand of Montana, N.Z's biggest winery, which was brought by Pernod-Ricard some years back. So yep, almost certainly related. (Similar to Australias' Domaine Chandon sparkling wines being part of the Moet & Chandon brand.) - winoweenie - 01-01-2008 Great notes as usual there Skeets. Do you know if granite Reef imports into the USofA? Happy New Year whilst I be at it. WW - Skeeter - 01-02-2008 I haven't heard of Granite Reef... did you mean Quartz Reef in Central Otago? (Hey, we never claimed to be geologists, huh? [img]http://wines.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] ) I'm not 100% sure if they export, but you can order off their website. http://www.quartzreef.co.nz/ Which would be well worth doing if you have some spare cash... their Methode Traditionelle is excellent. - winoweenie - 01-03-2008 Actually Skeets I was trying to type Mills Reef and somehow the ole hard stone hit the page. WW