Comments on: Tasting Report: Wines of New Zealand 2010 http://www.drinkhacker.com/2010/03/30/tasting-report-wines-of-new-zealand-2010/ The Essential Blog for the Discriminating Drinker Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:52:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bill Connelly http://www.drinkhacker.com/2010/03/30/tasting-report-wines-of-new-zealand-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-4443 Bill Connelly Sun, 16 May 2010 07:58:38 +0000 http://www.drinkhacker.com/?p=3702#comment-4443 You hit it right on the head. Marlborough Sav Blancs all taste the same (give or take). There are a handful of outstanding vineyards (Astrolabe for extreme fruityness, Vavasour for mineral action) but 99% of them are passionfruit, green flavors... you know, the standard stuff. In NZ, you can get them for half the price you get them in the US, (all of them for ~$5 US), so it makes a lot more sense. They are making mainly for the local market. However, I'm a little sad about the range you got. Never buy Marlborough Pinots. They are almost never good (the exception is Mud House, Fromm and Ata Rangi, age it 5-10 years, and they are world beaters). The best NZ Pinot Nior comes from Otago. Amisfield, Cornish Point (06 vintage), Gibbston Valley, Mondillo (07 vintage), Mt Difficulty -Long Gully. The list goes on and on. To me, it goes like this for NZ wines. Marlborough = Sav Blancs. Central Otago = Pinot Noir. Hawkes Bay = Aromatics and Syrah and Cab Savs. Maybe there are some odd exceptions. Pegasus bay doesn't screw up anything it makes. But those rules will always work. You hit it right on the head. Marlborough Sav Blancs all taste the same (give or take). There are a handful of outstanding vineyards (Astrolabe for extreme fruityness, Vavasour for mineral action) but 99% of them are passionfruit, green flavors… you know, the standard stuff. In NZ, you can get them for half the price you get them in the US, (all of them for ~$5 US), so it makes a lot more sense. They are making mainly for the local market.

However, I’m a little sad about the range you got. Never buy Marlborough Pinots. They are almost never good (the exception is Mud House, Fromm and Ata Rangi, age it 5-10 years, and they are world beaters). The best NZ Pinot Nior comes from Otago. Amisfield, Cornish Point (06 vintage), Gibbston Valley, Mondillo (07 vintage), Mt Difficulty -Long Gully. The list goes on and on.

To me, it goes like this for NZ wines. Marlborough = Sav Blancs. Central Otago = Pinot Noir. Hawkes Bay = Aromatics and Syrah and Cab Savs.

Maybe there are some odd exceptions. Pegasus bay doesn’t screw up anything it makes. But those rules will always work.

]]> By: Drinkhacker.com » Tasting Report: Wines of New Zealand 2010 | Kilbirnie http://www.drinkhacker.com/2010/03/30/tasting-report-wines-of-new-zealand-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-4104 Drinkhacker.com » Tasting Report: Wines of New Zealand 2010 | Kilbirnie Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:17:54 +0000 http://www.drinkhacker.com/?p=3702#comment-4104 [...] original here: Drinkhacker.com » Tasting Report: Wines of New Zealand 2010 Australia vs New Zealand 2nd Test Day 5 Highlights 2010 Hamilton [...] [...] original here: Drinkhacker.com » Tasting Report: Wines of New Zealand 2010 Australia vs New Zealand 2nd Test Day 5 Highlights 2010 Hamilton [...]

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