Festive Selection

The weekend was a busy one, with One Wheel Mike and The Baker in town, and along with Mags and Stumper, we headed over the hill to stay at the House of Hospo. Attending a wine festival set us in a great mood, and when we all settled back at our digs, we tried a few refreshing vinos to celebrate us all getting together, yet again. Having an amble among some vineyard plants was on the agenda, as well as celebrating Adam The Man's birthday. So we kept it all quite seemly...

An NV Laurent Perrier Brut set the scene. Always an enigma to me. Sometimes light and inconsequential, other times beautifully floral, elegant and refreshing. This bottle was in the latter camp, and had a bit of time on cork, which surprised us. We had a 2000 Pol Roger Vintage next. Darker in colour, heavier in aldehydes and oxidation. Not quite the finesse that Pol Roger normally displays. Was this bottle sitting upright on the shelves too long? Was there a reason it was sitting there, all on its lonesome, when we recently purchased it? Ah, the vagaries of Champagne, if you get into the minutiae if tracking its provenance.....

The whites were a study of richness. A new release 2009 Yves Cuilleron St-Joseph Blanc 'Lyseras' 50% Marsanne/50% Roussane. Dumb at first, but opening to show an exotic Viognier-like expression, with nice oak spice. A 2009 Terrace Edge Waipara Pinot Gris, just got richer, denser and more decadent in its restrained 15 g/L rs way. A bit of a steal, really. Then the new 2010 Dry River 'Lovat' Gewurztraminer, delicate, but creeping up in opulence and perfumes. It should develop well in bottle. A real statement was the 2008 Pegasus Bay 'Aria' LH Riesling. Honey, marmalade, limes, sweet, but just not cloying. A wow wine that can only be sipped at moderate pace, but then you can't stop...

Then a range of reds that is what wine celebration is all about. The 2002 Ata Rangi Martinborough Pinot Noir, lush and juicy still, but banging on the fungal drums with its secondary development. Getting on for me, but of real delight to many present. 25 years is a lifetime in New Zealand viticulture and winemaking terms, and the 1985 Babich Hawke's Bay Cabernet/Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings showed it perfectly. The Cab/Merlot was light, cool, stalky and herbal, but clean and remarkably fresh, and just drinkable. The Cabernet Sauvignon was a bit dirty, microbial?, but weighty and textured, with more balance. Take your pick, because we didn't get into them. Two 2000 vintage wines were much more interesting. The 2000 Mills Reef 'Elspeth One', a blend of Cab Sauv., Cab Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Syrah, was released as the flagship. SWMBO and I received a bottle as a gift. Still in good condition with a complex range of fruit flavours, but savoury, red berry and spices all together, somewhat lifted by some volatility. Tannins beginning to resolve. But no hurry. This alongside a 2000 Hardy's 'Thomas Hardy' Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River & Coonawarra fruit. Varietal blackcurrants, mixed with eucalyptus and mint and a hearty whack of spicy oak. All contained by a fearsomely tannic-building palate. Surprisingly inviting and drinking pretty well, really. But all of these were overshadowed by the mighty 1996 E&E 'Black Pepper' Barossa Shiraz. I'd love to try this with 1996 Grange. The E&E would be smoother, sweeter, more lush and juicy. And the Grange would be more structured and dense. But there wouldn't be much in it in enjoyment. We'd probably go for the former because it'd be more accessible, but still have the depth, power and potential to develop. It was a festival in itself!