When at Raffles, experience Dubai…When at Raffles, experience Beijing…so were the advertisement banners in the elevators of Raffles Hotel, Singapore. This time, it shall be “When at Raffles, experience New Zealand” wine growers! It was an evening with the kiwis, wine growers strutting their stuff (some for the very first time) in Singapore. Along with the growers were many from the trade, media and writers such as Singapore’s reknowned palate, Mr Ch’ng Poh Tiong .

It was a great session not only to taste wines but to mingle around the growers and one can definitely sense the enthusiasm and passion that these growers posses. It made wines not just for consumption but also to cherish the labourious efforts these growers have stamped into each vintage and each bottle making the fruits of their labour worth every drop . Another reason that makes masterclasses and events like this worth attending would be the eye opening experience to their local scene which can be rather educational! A very interesting fact that I picked up was how the ‘Abel clone’ also known as the ‘Gumboot clone’ got its reputation. This Abel clone was actually nicked off the famous Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) in Burgundy and brought in illegally into New Zealand (NZ), hence vineyards with this Abel Clone would have a ‘sense of Burg’ in their wines!

Lastly, when at Raffles (after visiting NZ)…..experience the Raffles cellar! We were fortunate enough to have our guide, Raffles sommelier himself, Dheeraj Bhatia to lead us through the ‘maze’ of Raffles Hotel to the cellar. Once a lifetime? Perhaps not, but surely it was very delightful to have had come this close to the prized collections that many can only dream about. Such bottles/ magnums…Chateau Margaux 1900, Y’quem 1900, La Tache, DRCs!!! Just imagine a ‘car in a bottle’!

Now back to some highlights, (but not limited to) for the night…

Two Paddocks, 2006 Pinot Noir (Central Otago)

Fruits for this Pinot Noir are sourced from three different vineyards across Central Otago. The first of which comes from vines in Gibbston Valley aged around 17 years while the other two vineyards of about 10 years of age are from Alexandra. This Pinot is available from Hermitage Wines.

Bouquet: Floral bouquet opening up with red cherries with a hint of earthiness.

Palate: Fruit focused on the palate with red cherries and light earthiness for a medium bodied wine that has medium acidity.

 

Gibbston Highgate Estate, 2007 Soultake Pinot Noir (Central Otago)

Murky and slightly cloudy…my first question, “Is this filtered?”

Vineyard director, “Unfiltered and unfined”

This Gibbston vineyard is about 25 years old, producing good quality fruits for the final blend of which there is also a proportion of the legendary ‘Abel clone’! Beautiful wine and my understanding is this wine will be made available at Rev Wines.

Bouquet: Sweet strawberry candies (think strawberries and cream), some Turkish delight nuances and light undergrowth

Palate: If the palate is too ‘ripe’…fret not, the fruit here is pure and the palate smooth with flavours of red cherries, some dark plums and light earthy savouryness with a nice acid backbone and soft tannins.

 

Lime Rock, 2007 White Knuckle Road Pinot Noir (Central Hawkes Bay)

Central Hawkes Bay…if you’re thinking why are they growing Pinots in Hawkes Bay? Then, you’re not alone…Central Hawkes Bay is a new and upcoming wine growing region in NZ and (nope) it is not in Hawkes Bay. This is single vineyard Pinot Noir for those who enjoy terroir and the essence of a particular vineyard.

Bouquet: Spicy and floral with cherries and a hint of meatiness.

Palate: Intense cherries with beautiful spice notes and a touch of earthy tones. Simple and nicely done

 

Weka River, 2007 Pinot Noir (Waipara Valley)

Those who enjoy simple wines, here is a good choice. Simple, easy drinking wine for the times that too much thinking has been done over the day and wines are for simple relaxation in the evening!

Bouquet: Dark fruity nose with a savoury touch plus some spiciness.

Palate: Soft tannins for easy enjoyment with some dark cherries coming through on the palate

 

Cambridge Road, 2008 Syrah (Martinborough)

Not all Pinot here, but hang on…YES, SYRAH in Martinborough! The winemaker did not get it wrong, on the contrary, this is the second oldest Syrah vines in NZ, planted in 1986!

Bouquet: Rhone beauty comes to mind with pepper, sweet spices, licorice and bitter dark chocolate.

Palate: Medium bodied, cool climate styled syrah with a nice fruit core showing red fruits, pepper and some spiciness (not alcoholic though) with very soft tannins à perfect for enjoying now!

 

Mount Difficulty, 2002 Pinot Noir (Central Otago)

Yes, an 8 year old Pinot and drinking beautifully.

Bouquet: Musky white pepper, red cherries, spices, ‘dark earthiness’ (if it makes sense) and some meaty notes.

Palate: Nice body and lushes, velvety mouthfeel with soft grained tannins at the back held by vibrant acidity à palate sensations = dark cherries, white pepper, savoury earthiness and a hint of meaty tone as displayed from the nose.

 

Haythornthwaite Wines, 2008 Noble Gewürztraminer (Martinborough)

Good parents = good upbringing = well mannered off springs, while good genes = good quality.

The winemakers themselves are a beautiful couple, which has been reflected in their wines. One may call me bias, but the palate speaks for itself. I have had the honour of vertically tasting the pride of their winery the Susan’s Gewurtztraminier - 2008, 2009, 2010 (speaking of which the 2010 is not even released yet!) The 2008 has developed a great and rich mouthfeel after 2 years in the bottle, I can only imagine how good will the 2010 develop as it current is showing a very promising structure of fruits and acid with a poised balance. Perhaps, we’ll all find out in due time!

Lastly, to end any occasion well…we had a good and NOBLE ‘sticky’ from Haythornthwaite Wines.

Bouquet: Ripe tropical fruits, rich thick honeyed aromas plus ripe apricots and hazelnuts.

Palate: Rich but remains fresh mid way through with layers of ripe mangoes, bananas, apricot crème and a dose of mild hazelnutty ending with lingering residual sweetness.

 

Always trust your PALate, it’s your PAL!

Cheers!

The all time raved about kiwi, the winery that is famed for putting New Zealand‘s wines in the eyes of the world. A vineyard as many others in New Zealand which produce various grape varietals that the kiwis are renowned for with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc as their main varietals. However, it is their debut Sauvignon Blanc to export markets two and a half decades ago that has brought much attention to this winery, region and country. Cult wine or everyday pleasure, one may ask?!? No matter what, often when one thinks of New Zealand, Marlborough in particular, one thinks of Sauvignon Blanc. For the avid drinkers, a particular brand comes to mind…Cloudy Bay!

Cloudy Bay, located in the north eastern end of New Zealand’s South Island in the wine region of Marlborough was established back in 1985 by a Western Australian Vineyard, Cape Mentelle. The winery and vineyards lie in the cool region of the Wairau Valley in Marlborough which gives the archetypal expression of most Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that we see in today’s market.

Truly a name created for themselves but has it been a benchmark for many young growers? How justifiable this is depends on an individual. My advice as always, allow the wines to express themselves as each bottle is beautifully crafted by the winemaker.

If you’re keen on New Zealand wines, check out the latest events at TLN!

Without further ado, let me share how the following two Cloudy Bay bottles have spoken to me!

 

Cloudy Bay, 2009 Sauvignon Blanc

Bouquet: A nice typical mix of peppery capsicum, some grassy notes plus gooseberries and light passionfruit nose

Palate: Fresh with a good depth on the palate showcasing grapefruit, kiwi and guava nuances before a dry finish with lingering capsicum notes. A little more flamboyance could do the trick!

 

Cloudy Bay, 2007 Chardonnay

Bouquet: Sweet scented appley-acetone with a buttery musky floral mix

Palate: Medium bodied wine kept in check with vibrant acidity while displaying intense apple and kiwi notes plus a hint of dry toasted oak

 

 

If you are a Pinot lover or passionate about New Zealand wines, be sure to check out the previous two-parter Pinot Noir showdowns! Click here for Part 1 and Part 2.

 

Always trust your PALate, it’s your PAL!

As I have promised all the Pinotphiles, Part 2 of TLN’s New Zealand Pinot showdown!

This time I’ll still be focusing on the same two regions of NZ, Central Otago versus Marlborough however the wines will be from separate vintages, 2008 and 2007 respectively. To some, these Pinot Noirs may be a hair young but the good news is, NZ does produce quality wines that are approachable young while off course there will also be those that have the potential for aging.

For those who find it irresistible to keep their hands off their cellars, this would be a perfect fix for those ‘itchy’ hands! Surely, wines that are meant for aging will not show their full potential in their infant years hence we always need a ‘drink now’ wine to satisfy our ‘thirsty’ palates while we patiently await our delayed gratifications in years to come. ‘Drink now’ wines don’t mean that these wines are not suitable for the cellars; it’s just simply deliciously approachable in their youth while some may equally have their aging potential.  Off course, the fun part is when we get to try them NOW….and stock some up to evaluate how they mature in the later years!

Thankfully, the wines for this part are those that are already approachable to be enjoyed today. Up for the challenge this round will be Gumfields Wines 2007 Pinot Noir from Marlborough followed by Rabbit Ranch 2008 Pinot Noir from Central Otago.

 

The Verdict:

Gumfields Wines 2007 Pinot Noir
Bouquet: cherry juice plus some fresh raspberries coupled with floral notes, light spices and hint of wet earth with a surprising find, ‘red capsicum’!

Palate: Fruit driven wine with pink cherries, sweet ripe strawberries ala chewy strawberry candies with a slight hint of tea notes at the backend

 

Rabbit Ranch 2008 Pinot Noir
Bouquet: Well crafted perfumed nose consisting of cherries and raspberry mix together with black pepper, hint of spices with a floral component

Palate: Fruit focused with red fruits and cherries plus well balanced acidity
 before some underlying plums on the mid palate and finishing off with light earthiness, black pepper and hint of toasted oak

Once again, everyone has their own palate; for those who enjoy chilling with an easy drinking wine to start the evening, the Gumfields Wines 2007 Pinot Noir would be an ideal bottle to quaff about. As for me, the Rabbit Ranch 2008 Pinot Noir which was a real ‘nose-wine’ won the show this round! In part one, the previous Central Otago pinot did had a great brooding nose however, this Rabbit Ranch Pinot was just perfumed and invitingly attractive while on the palate, it truly is one to enjoy today and over the next 3-4 years if not longer!

(A catchy one from the winemaker; Rabbit Ranch does not ‘test on animals’!)


Always trust your PALate, it’s your PAL!

Cheers!

Heads up to all the Pinot-holics out there! The first TLN blogging showdown is here with two New Zealand (NZ) reds, Marlborough versus Central Otago.  Here’s one to watch, two of the ‘kiwis’ most planted red varietal,  Pinot Noir from the same vintage (2008) with different geographical regions, soils and growing conditions.

Marlborough, situated at NZ’s north eastern tip of the South Island is the biggest of NZ’s wine regions. Although Sauvignon Blanc is the predominant and most planted variety here, it is closely followed by Pinot Noir.  The 2008 Marlborough vintage was apparently one of the warmest and driest which may result in more concentrated fruit flavours.

Central Otago on the other hand doesn’t lack in reputation by any means. It prides itself as the world’s most southerly wine country which produces Pinot Noir as its largest varietal. Often Pinot Noirs cultivated here from NZ’s only continental climate, produces wines of significant quality to put this red variety in the eyes of the world. Similarly, growers claim the 2008 vintage to be a good harvest with some vineyards in Central Otago achieving higher yields.

For more detailed information between these regions, be sure to check back on our resident expert, Morgun’s NZ blogs! (Central Otago has just posted below)


Wines: Hunter’s 2008 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) vs. Lowburn Ferry 2008 Pinot Noir (Central Otago)

Hunter’s 2008 Pinot Noir

Bouquet: Pink cherries with some light spices coming through plus a hint of earthiness

Palate: Light on its feet, soft and elegant with multiple layers of bright cherries, hints of earthiness following from the nose before some spicy toasted oak on the finish




Lowburn Ferry 2008 Pinot Noir

Bouquet: Great aromatics! Some underlying spices plus well integrated dark fruits mixed with cranberries with a whiff of tobacco

Palate: Fuller and broodingly ‘masculine’, higher acid structured red with dark fruits (and dark cherries) with a touch of spices on the finish





The verdict:

Wines come in all sorts of styles as to drinkers’ preferences to different wine expressions…

Personally, I enjoyed nosing Lowburn Ferry’s brooding and well integrated bouquet. Conversely, Hunter’s did rather well to caress my palate with its ‘feminine’ touch, complemented by its multiple flavor profiles.

The second half (another couple of Pinots) will be up soon!!!

~End of part 1~

Always trust your PALate, it's your PAL!
Cheers!