Pressed to be Trendy

It was a big party at The Grunter’s place.  Flossie’s birthday, and the house was open to a mass of young persons.  A lovely lunch moving on to a lovely night with singing and dancing.  The dichotomy between generations became very evident in the choice of songs and dancing music.  The oldies more tempered and with melody and easy to understand lyrics, and a flowing story.  The modern with understandable rhythm and uncomplicated phrases, in a way lighter and less layered.  Two vintages of the same labelled wine seemed to typify the difference in generations.  One could ask: Is winemaking under pressure to make trendy wines for the times?

The 1998 Redmetal ‘Basket Press’ Hawke’s Bay Merlot/Cabernet Franc, a monster, dark and still brooding with impenetrable black-garnet colour, dense and concentrated with savoury earth and black fruits.  Sure, lots of oak, but now a secondary beast.  Rounded and supple in impression, but a firm heart. SWMBO was afraid it might be bretty as heck, but no, still sweet in fruitiness.  Great wine in a heroic style, and tough to drink without a slab of red meat, but nevertheless impressive.

The 2010 Redmetal ‘Basket Press’ Hawke’s Bay Merlot/Cabernet Franc I’ve tried before.  In the scheme of things today, it looks a rich and satisfying, near old-fashioned wine, full and broad and soft with density.  A crowd-pleaser in a sense, but alongside the 1998, much lighter and elegant, quite a lot more trendy.  Distinctly fruity in a primary way, and fresh with good acidity.  Simpler and far more accessible, representing the now-style.

I’m sure there’s an element of vintage expression.  The 1998s were super-ripe blockbusters, and the 2010 was from a lighter, cooler year.  But the house style is changing, to be more with it.  Such is the pressure to be contemporary.