A Mixed Grab-Bag of TN's

[Skeeter]

Hey, remember me? Nope. Not surprised, it's been a while. But I've been... well, lazy. So to make up for my unforgivable absence, let me crank some Ramones and fire off a few TN's from the scribbled fragments of paper I cleared out of my wallet tonight.

2006 Clearview Chardonnay: Full, rich mouthfeel. Nutty and creamy, with a good acid spine. Drinking nicely, but no hurry really. I managed to have lunch there on a recent visit to the Hawkes Bay Excellent food and great service. (Even replacing a spilled glass of wine at no charge after a waiter knocked over a chair, causing my mothers gewurztraminer to end up in my lap.) . A bottle of their Unoaked Chardoanny is currently in my "working cellar".. ie. the wardrobe. It won't be on Death Row long.

2006 Milton Chenin Blanc: Wowza! Crisp gala apple, nashi pear, a squeeze of lime and a little cinnamon. Damn, now I'm hungry. But this was amazing. I'd trample a nun to get a few more bottles of this.

2006 Saddleback Pinot Noir: Blackberry confectionery nose, fine tannins, medium body. My notes don't actually say whether I liked it, and it's been a while since I tried it. So this is a really unhelpful TN, huh?

2005 Lloyd Shiraz: Big Aussie bruiser this one! Very tannic, very long. The fruit gets a little overpowered by the all-out power, though. (I refuse to use the term "austere"... I've heard it mis-used about a gazillion times.) This one needs time in the cellar or a big gamey slab of Skippy. Or Bambi if you prefer.

2004 De Bortoli Noble One: Tasted for a second time a few months back, and still a stunner. Luxurious, luscious and balanced to perfection. Sublime orange and peach flavours get this one a Big Tick O' Approval!

2006 Rippon Osteiner: Interesting. Slightly sweet and very fruit-driven. Nashi pear again, but almost sherbt-like. I liked the heck out of this one. Should be excelllent with asian cuisine. (Or a decent Thai takeout, at least.)

2004 Nautilis Chardonnay: My notes call this a "good, honest chardonnay". Obviously didn't leap out at me, but didn't get the thumbs down either.

NV Hardys Merlot: Gifted to me after a party. It was drinkable. But not one I'm racing out to buy again. Even at 6 bucks a bottle.

2006 Te Mata Elston Chardonnay: One of the winemakers at the winery I work weekends at can't stand Elston. I'm going to have to disagree. Tight, structured, massively long, great mouthfeel, excellent peachy/nutty character. Sorry dude, I give this one a pass with flying colours!

Well, that should do for a while. Tomorrow, there's a 150-wine tasting/sale at a store in town. I'm attending, I think. And even better news. I got a new part-time job. In a winestore. One that specialises in top-end New Zealand juice. And does a lot of staff tastings.

I'm a happy little Kiwi!

Ninja Edit: I just discovered one of my old TN's on a dusty Wordpad file tucked into a neglected corner of my hard-drive. Therein I discovered that the '02 Rippon Osteiner was "oily" and "didn't do much for me". Times change, and so do tastes, I guess.

[This message has been edited by Skeeter (edited 07-26-2007).]