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 This
evening was a first for our Society. We had both a speaker about
wine, and a speaker about travelling to a southern hemisphere
country, in this case New Zealand. Our reception wine was the
Montana Lindauer Sparkling Brut
NV.
It had a citrusy, bready aroma and a clean citrus finish, medium
bubble. Very reasonable price, sub $20.
Our tasting was divided into 2 parts. In the first
part, Karl Kliparchuk,
spoke to us about each of the nine wines very briefly and a bit
about the history of wine production in New Zealand. The first
grapes were planted in 1833 by James Busby, but it was not until
the early 1970s that Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon were first
planted.
We then leisurely sipped these wines as we listened to Carol
Vahlbruch as she took us on
a guided tour via powerpoint of New Zealand. We learned that is
it a 13 hr flight from Vancouver to New Zealand. Although January
and February are the hottest months, the temperature is only betweeen
25-29 Celcius so not too hot. If you can go, try the shoulder
months of Oct, Nov, April, or May for better deals. If you like
Art Deco, visit the city of Napier in Hawkes Bay where most of
the buildings are in this style. Visit the Te Papa National Museum
in Wellington. Take the Trans Alpine Express train. There is alot
to see and do in New Zealand.
 Our
first 2 wines were classic sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. The
Boundary
Vineyards Marlborough Rapaura Road Sauvignon Blanc 2007
was full of gooseberry aroma. It was light in body with citrus
flavours and a grapefruit finish. The Brancott
Marlborough B Series Sauvignon Blanc 2007
is also from the Marlborough area in the South Island, but it's
aromas were of asparagus and lemon. Good acidity, light body,
citrus flavours and medium length. The letter series of Brancott
is only released in exceptional years and this was a very nice
example of New Zealand sauvignon blanc.
Next we enjoyed a riesling and a chardonnay. The Mudhouse
Marlborough Riesling 2007 had a slight petrol,
or hot buttered toast, aroma. Also some citrus and flowers. Very
interesting. On the palate the petrol continued along with the
spice and some citrus. The Akarua
Central Otago Bannockburn Chardonnay 2006
is
from the famous Central Otago area in the southern part of the
South Island. Most people know about the wild flavours of Pinot
Noir, but there are other varietals grown. This wine was much
fuller bodied than the other white wines. Vanilla, oak and pineapple
aromas. Medium body with spice and tropical fruit flavours.
Next we tried two Pinot Noirs, both from Marlborough. Tohu
Wines is the first Maori owned company to export wine from New
Zealand. The Tohu Pinot Noir Marlborough
2006 was light garnet in colour. Violet aromas.
Medium body with cherry flavours and low tannins. The
Staete Landt Pinot Noir Marlborough 2005
had a very fruity nose but also a bit of flowers. On the palate,
it had a bit more tannins than the Tohu and black cherry flavours.
 Our
last 3 wines were full bodied reds, and all came from the warmer
North Island. The Hawkes Bay wine region on the east coast of
the North Island is well known for their red wines as well as
Chardonnay. The soil is gravelly which allows the soil to drain
well and makes the grape vines work hard sending roots deep into
the soil, and spend more time making fruit and less time on leaves.
The Oyster Bay Merlot 2005
was fermentioned partially in French oak barriques then underwent
malolactic fermentation to make them smoother, followed by aging
in French barriques for 6 months. This wine was medium purple
in the glass. Plum and subtle oak aromas. Light tannins with cherry
flavours. The CJ Pask winery hand picked the blocks of grapes
for their Syrah and were aged in predominantly French oak. The
CJ Pask Gimblett Road Syrah 2006
was deep purple in colour. Vanilla and cherry bouquet. Fine but
firm tannins with cherry and light spice flavours. Our final wine
was a blend from Matariki. Matariki is the word for the Maori
New year, and is an indication to the Maori of when to plant their
crops. The Matariki
Hawkes Bay Quintology 2000
is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 20% Cabernet
Franc, 10% Syrah, and 6% Malbec. Most of the wine was aged in
French barriques, but a bit of American barrels were also used.
Quintology is Matariki's flagship red blend. This wine being nine
years old was medium garnet in colour with some bricking. It had
vanilla, earth, plum and dark fruit aromas. On the palate it was
round with the softening of the tannins over time. There was earthiness,
leather and black cherry flavours.
Thank you to the New Zealand Consulate who donated many of these
wines for this tasting!
 Tasting
Selection
Favourite Red: Matariki
Hawkes Bay Quintology 2000
Favorite White: Brancott
Marlborough B Series Sauvignon Blanc 2007
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