Out There Reds

A clan gathering is always an ‘out there’ experience, with lots of tales being told with stories and laughter galore. It’s always a good time to open some ‘out there’ wines, as the clan enjoy all sorts, as long as they are good sorts. There’s always been a bit of talk of how the 1998 vintage being a hot and dry one has made Californian-style reds in Hawke’s Bay. Many critics reckoned the wines would fall over quickly because of over-ripeness, insufficient acidity and the like, but this has not proved to be the case generally. In fact, full ripeness and ripe acidity are regarded as precursors for a successful, ageworthy vintage if the acidity, and overall balance works. The 1998s I’ve seen are still going strong as they near one and a half decades of age. To test the life of 1998s, a couple of rather ‘out there’ wines were broached…

Firstly a 1998 Ata Rangi Martinborough Syrah. Not quite Hawke’s Bay, but for all intents and purposes close enough. This was a rare bottling of the variety, tiny amounts of something special. Still dark, with a rich, fulsome bouquet and palate of savoury, spicy dark plum and berry fruits. Very Syrah in the secondary phase. Great mouthfeel and presence, the tannins beginning to resolve, yet with significant structure. And acidity to burn, too. This was certainly well-ripened, but not over-done, as varietal spice, pepper and game were there and unmistakably so. It just unfolded layers of ethereal complexity with air-time. Funky, but pleasingly clean. This could manage another 5+ years cellaring.

Encouraged by the success of the Ata Rangi, then came out a 1998 Redmetal Hawke’s Bay ‘The Merlot. This was the best Merlot fruit from the Master of Merlot himself, Grant Edmonds, the fruit given the full-on treatment, but without pushing it too far. Some of the 1998s have shown the dreaded brett as the wines he made that year were not sterile-filtered, but this bottle thankfully very clean. Ripe and concentrated, densely packed dark red berry and plums, with black earth and a touch of tar. Showing shiny oak and lively acidity, this is still remarkably fresh. Time in glass just revealed more density and packed flavours, the wine showing how seriously constructed it was, and the quality of the fruit on which this was based. The power stood out, but this was an extremely balanced wine. Grant can be proud of this one. It will continue to develop over another decade, yet it can be enjoyed now.