Assortages: Early June

[Skeeter]

Time for another selection of Wines of the Month from the N.Z Winemakers Centre. (And time for a new TN book... my first one is full!)

2004 Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc: Another year, another impeccably-crafted sav from Brent Marris. Huge, distinctly Marlborough-styled nose, tropical fruit flavours, less lemony than the '03 but with the same incredibly long finish. Big Ass Tick o' Approval. If I ever meet Mr. Marris, I'm going to buy him a puppy.

2003 Babich Riesling: Nice, slightly honeyed aromas. Very dry, with tons of lime on the palate. Should be an excellent meal-enhancer.

2002 C.J Pask Gimblett Rd. Chardonnay: A rich, buttery crowd-pleaser of a chardonnay. Smooth, long and could probably improve with a few more years cellaring. Willpower would be required for me, though.

2001 Corbans Private Bin Pinot Noir: Quite a light red to my taste. (One I would have picked as "my style" just a year or two ago... how times change, huh? [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] ) Some nice tannins lurking in the background, though. I'm a little undecided on this one. (Someone buy me a bottle and I re-evaluate it...) [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

2002 Babich Quartet: A West Auckland Bordeaux-style blend? Yep, from a winery ten minutes drive from my door, even! (That I've never visited... lazy slacker that I am.) Merlot/Cabernet/Syrah/Malbec. Deep purple, almost black in the glass. Firm and juicy, lots of ripe plum, and very much "me". Add the NZ$20 price tag and we can add "Great value" to the list of things I like about it. (Time to seek out their cellar door, methinks.)

2002 C.J Pask Merlot: Fairly oaky, though smooth. I noted it as "not bad", but it kind of suffered after the Quartet. I'll reserve judgement on this one. (Doubly so as it probably needs a few years to develop fully.)


BONUS: The New Release of the Week from my weekend job at Matua Valley.

2003 Matua Valley Judd Chardonnay: Not as creamy as last years, but a year in the bottle and it'll probably develop a similar texture. Its relative youth allows plenty of fruit flavours to come through... including a nice citrus-y tang. No complaints, sir!

Next week... the release of our first Marlborough sauvignon blanc of the vintage... the Shingle Peak '04. (In a wine-and-oyster tasting, apparently.) I'm looking forward to the weekend. [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]