It is said that sheep outnumber people in New Zealand - a UK-sized island nation with a population of just four million. And, with the country's focus on premium quality product, it could also be said that the good wines outnumber the bad.
New Zealand first made a name for itself internationally with its terrific sauvignon blanc. Good quality grapes and a favourable climate make NZ sauv blanc like Sancerre on steroids. The bold grassy noses and fruity palates with lots of acidity redefined the style in the 90s. The sauvignon blancs are still good, but NZ winemakers, unfettered by tradition, have not been shy about trying all kinds of grapes.
There's good chardonnay (of course) and the pinot noirs are getting more notice. Worth looking into as well is the merlot, the pinot gris and the riesling.
One notable feature of New Zealand is that it doesn't do cheap. Probably a wise move in a world still awash with very low-priced wines (i.e., it's hard to compete at the bottom end, as Canadian producers know only too well...) It's rare to see New Zealand wines below about $14: most entrants are clustered on either side of the $20 mark and there is a growing number of $30+ offerings. This puts it very much in the premium category, but with its stern quality control, high level of winemaking skill and sense of pride, New Zealand delivers.
The New Zealand Whites
Forrest Estate Riesling 2007. $18.95
Marlborough, South Island
Rich and aromatic nose with floral and plum notes. Smooth and fresh on the palate. There's good acidity thanks to the relatively cool climate and a great finish of sweet lemon. 89 points.
Lawson's Dry Hills Gewurztraminer 2006. $18.95
Marlborough, South Island
Touted as "one of the country's most impressive gewurztraminers", the Lawson's is good: Aromatic nose with rich, ripe fruit like lichee and plum, but relatively muted. Nice spicy notes are there and the palate is rich, though the alcohol is a little noticeable (14.5%!). Good fresh finish. 88 points.
Sacred Hill Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2006. $20.95
Hawkes Bay, North Island
Very elegantly done chard here - muted nose of white fruit with very little evidence of the oak. Dry, rich and creamy on the palate, there is some sweetness and a touch of vanilla from the oak and, towards the nice finish, a hint of smoke. 89 points.
Sileni Cellar Selection Pinot Gris 2007. $14.95 ** TOP VALUE PICK**
Hawkes Bay, North Island
NZ still delivers big even at the low end of its price range. The "gris" colour is evident on this one. It's slight, and actually more pinky/orange, but you can see why people might say grey. Nice nose of white fruit like just-ripe peach and some pear too. There is a hint of the pinot gris/grigio "undertone". Great fresh acidity on the palate, which is more muted than expected after the nose, but quite nice finish. 88 points.
Sileni Estate Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2007. $15.95 ** GOOD VALUE**
Hawkes Bay, North Island
Here's NZ doing a more tropical style sauv blanc - rich and fruity nose with citrus and some candied notes as well as a little bit of herbaceousness. Fuller bodied and very smooth on the palate, which has a nice balance of fruit and crisp acdity. Good finish. 88 points.
Trout Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2006. $19.95
Nelson, South Island
Muted but herbaceous nose with a very slight soapy note. Very dry and fresh on the palate, with rich tropical fruit notes emerging gradually through the good acidity. A nice example of "both styles" of sauvignon blanc in one. 89 points.
The New Zealand Rose
Kim Crawford Pansy! Rose 2007. $16.95 ** GOOD VALUE**
Gisborne, North Island
Surely it would have been better to release Kim Crawford's "gay" wine in about a month: just in time to take its place at the Pride festivities. Gay or not, you'll be attracted to this Pansy if your tastes run to beefier, more well-built rose. Boldly pink colour, great fresh nose with red berry fruit. Smooth and fairly full on the palate, which has lots of lighter red fruits. Nice lingering finish. 88 points.
The New Zealand Reds
Coopers Creek Gravels and Metals Merlot/Cabernet Franc 2004. $22.95
Hawkes Bay, North Island
Here's New World NZ aping Old World Bordeaux very effectively: great Old World nose with lots of very derk red fruit, a bit muted under the secondary notes of oak and tobacco. Smooth and lighter than expected on the palate, but there's a nice line of red fruit that leads to a fine finish. 89 points.
Goldridge Estate Premium Reserve Syrah 2005. $19.95
Matakana, North Island
Rich fruity and peppery nose, and lots more pepper on the palate, which is smooth and has the acidity and tannins in nice balance. Nice finish of dark plum and more peppery notes, including white pepper. Great if you like pepper! 88 points.
Lowburn Ferry Pinot Noir 2006. $37.95
Central Otago, South Island
The label on the bottle may be ugly, but it's what's inside that counts... Nice and fairly rich cherry fruit on the nose. Very smooth and elegant on the palate, which is medium bodied and has more cherry fruit, including sour cherry. Acidity's high and the tannins are good and there are hints of secondary notes. Nice New World pinot finish with several flavours at play, including cherry, plum, some sharpness and a bit of dark earth.89 points.
Sacred Hill Basket Press Merlot 2006. $20.95
Hawkes Bay, North Island
Rich and fruity nose, but a bit over-extracted and jammy. Rather dark, with some secondary notes on the nicely dry palate, which is not over-fruity. The tannins and acidity are both high, but nicely balanced so the overall feel is smooth. Nice finish. 88/89 points.
Shepherds Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006. $24.95
Marlborough, South Island
Big, fruity simple nose, but there are some secondary notes in this very elegantly pale red coloured pinot. Nice body on the palate - cherry fruit, great acidity. It could be more complex, but it's very alluring in a fruity New World kinda way. Good lingering finish of cherry. 89 points.
Villa Maria Privat Bin Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. $17.95 ** BEST VALUE**
Hawkes Bay, North Island
Slightly overextracted nose of dark red fruit and tobacco. Very dry and rather Old World on the palate, which has red plum and a hint of cigar box. Nice finish. 88 points.
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The Other Whites
Cave Spring Estate Gewurztraminer 2006. $19.95
VQA Niagara, Beamsville Bench
Even though it's not the only "bench" in Niagara, when producers down in Niagara on the Lake talk about "the Bench", they mean Beamsville. Good quality rieslings and chardonnays are made here, and now Cave Springs delivers a first-rate gewurztraminer. Strikingly bold and fruity nose of lichee, canned peaches and lightly spicy notes. Smooth and elegant on the palate, and the acidity is more muted than expected, giving it a fuller bodied, rounder richness, which works well with the fleshy white fruit. Nice lingering finish with the various fruit notes and spice coming together again. An excellent gewurztraminer. 90 points.
Catena Chardonnay 2006. $19.95
Mendoza, Argentina
Rich nose of toffee, toast and vanilla. Smooth and a little sweet on the palate - there's lots of oak on this fuller bodied and reasonably fruity wine - a California chard from Mendoza! 88 points.
Heath Southern Sisters Reserve Riesling 2005. $19.95
Clare Valley, South Australia
Love the label, love what's in the bottle even more. Great riesling nose with a hint of petral and lots of white pear fruit over lime. More petrol on the palate, which is very dry and has lots of lemon and lime fruit. Here's a great riesling if you don't like it sweet or even sweet-ish: this one's nice and dry. 90 points.
JIm Jim Unoaked Chardonnay 2007. $13.95
McLaren Vale, South Australia
Rich and fruity nose of apple and citrus. There's a slight hint of cardboard, but this clears. Quite full on the palate and nicely fruity. Nice finish too. 87 points.
Lammershoek Barrique Chenin Blanc 2007. $18.95
Swartland, South Africa
Very pleasant and even elegant nose - somewhat aromatic with apple and canned peaches as well. Nice oak treatment gives some smoky notes and complexity. Acdity is good, nice finish that lingers. A fine chenin. 89 points
Sal'Mon Groovey Gruner Veltliner 2007. $12.95 ** TOP VALUE PICK**
Krems, Austria
Self consciously quirkly "critter" label (an ugly fish) aside, this is a terrifically priced example of Austria's own white. This one offers a typical gruner veltliner nose with aromatic notes, white fruit and fresh citrus. The typical acidity is there on the palate, but it stays smooth and has yellow plum fruit. Dry, OK finish, nice intro to gruner veltliner at a great price. 87 points.
Anne Boecklin Riesling Schlossberg 2004. $22.95
Alsace (Grand Cru), France
Pleasantly muted nose - aromatic and floral. Nice and fresh on the palate, with zingy acidity and terrific lemon and lime notes. Very pleasant. 89 points.
Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Montmains 2005. $31.95
Burgundy, France
Slightly off note on the muted nose, but get past it: here's a super dry, minerally Chablis with hardly any fruit. Nicely austere. There's a light touch of butter too - maybe old oak barrels were used? Very crisp acidity, yet still smooth. Nice lingering finish. The definition of muted elegance here. 90 points.
Chateau de Chasseloir Muscadet de Sevre et Maine 2006. $15.95
Loire Valley, France
Nice rich nose with pleasantly aromatic notes. Lively and crisp on the palate, which has lots of lemon on it it. Very lean and dry, OK finish, great for a hot day (if we ever get one...) 88 points.
Lacheteau Vouvray Les Loges 2006. $14.95
Loire Valley, France
Here's a French chenin blanc, off dry and fruity. Lots of peach and sweet lemon on the palage, which is very smooth and, surprisingly, has only moderate acidity. It's nice, but a bit cloying on the finish. 87 points.
Domaine Belot Viognier 2006. $16.95 ** GOOD VALUE**
Pays d'Oc, France
Here's a great example of viognier, if you want to know what it's supposed to taste like. Very pleasantly aromatic nose with floral notes and tropical fruit, which follows through onto the palate. There's fresh acidity balance with a fairly full body and there's lots of tropical fruit. Very elegant, nice finish. 89 points.
The Other Reds
Finca El Retiro Malbec 2004. $12.95. ** TOP VALUE PICK**
Mendoza, Argentina
Rich dark colour - very dense. Fairly bold nose of rich dark fruit - black plums and black cherries - and even a little secondary spicy note. Good acidity balances the tannins on the palate. Fairly simple, but the rich red fruit is nice and the finish is pretty good too. 88 points.
Trapiche Broquel Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. $15.95. ** TOP VALUE PICK**
Mendoza, Argentina
Interesting and complex nose with dark red berry fruit and lots of secondary notes, including tobacco, coffee grinds and even some chocolate. It's both smooth and lively on the palate, which has nice complexity and a full body. Acidity and tannins are both high, good finish, great value. 89 points.
Zeepaard Shiraz 2005. $15.95 ** GOOD VALUE**
Western Australia
Rich and slightly over-extracted nose of jammy dark red fruit and a bit of pepper on this in-your-face Aussie. Big red berry fruit on the palate, which is smooth, with oaky notes: it's fruity without being a "fruit bomb". Good acidity levels make this full bodied effort fairly easy drinking. Nice finish. 88 points.
Domaine de la Tour du Bief Moulin-a-Vent 2005. $19.95
Beaujolais, France
Burgundy's southern neighbour specializes in gamay (a grape popular here in Ont. as well) and has a pretty lightweight reputation, not helped in the least by the silly "Beaujolais Nouveau" phenomenon each November. But Moulin-a-Vent, known for its darker, denser gamays, is about as serious as Beaujolais gets and here's a great example. The rich and super fruity nose of cherries and raspberries is almost candied, but don't let that fool you. It's much more "serious" on the palate, where the rich cherry and berry fruit takes on a darker note, underpinned with smooth tannins and good acidity. It's much less overtly fruity than you'd expect from the nose. Good lingering finish too on this very grown-up gamay. 89 points.
Domaine Y. Clerget Volnay 2005. $43.95
Burgundy, France
Said to be an "excellent vintage", this 2005 certainly is promising. The nose is closed at first but soon opens up, showing alluringly dark red cherry fruit over earth. Super elegant and smooth on the palate of fresh cherries. Very fresh acidity, hints of secondary notes and some more earth: this is a fine Burg that promises to develop very nicely if you can keep your hands of it for a few years. Lovely clean cherry finish. 91 points.
Chateau de Flaugergues Cuvee Sommeliere 2006. $17.95 ** GOOD VALUE**
Languedoc, France
Fresh fruity fun from the Languedoc that manages to be very dry yet fruity on the palate. Red berry fruit plus some nice secondary notes beginning to show - maybe tobacco and leather. You probably wouldn't want to lay this one down, but you could. 88 points.
Chateua Musar Red 1999. $54.95
Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Old wine lovers only need buy this. Verging on over the hill after 9 years (hey, Bordeaux it ain't) this blend of cinsault, carignan and cabernet sauvignon has brick-coloured rim (indicative of age) and ripe, leathery, spicy nose with just a little dark plum fruit - but all very delicate. On the palate it's pretty much all secondary notes, medium bodied and there's even a hint of lemon (unusual for a red). So the acidity has held up very well even as the rest of it falls away somewhat. The finish, however, is a smooth, fresh and pleasant surprise, with a nice bit of plum kicking back in. This would be a great "novelty" wine to share with lovers of old Bordeaux over a meaty dinner... not least because it's a terrific wine (but don't sit on it too much longer if you buy). 89 points.
Baron de Ley Reserva 2002. $19.95
Rioja, Spain
Rich and smoky nose here with lots of dark red fruit and secondary notes of tobacco. Fairly smooth on the palate, which has nice cherry fruit. Very fresh, nice smokiness and a good finish - would work very with with local specialty lamb. 88 points.
