Hatton Estate 2006 Bordeaux Blend

cellared

Alpha Domus 2007

Even though I don't fancy merlots generally, this blend has enough cab and franc on board to keep it honest--still, not peppery and no tannins to speak of. Very smooth, subdued berry NOS. Not bad at all for 25$ and likely to pair amiably with a large variety of foods.

2010 Farmgate Viognier

Nice to see viognier catching one here in NZ. Floral nose, suggesting sweetness, but actually opening quite dry with a fair bit of acidity up front, followed by pear hints. Tried pairing it with fish 2 nights in a row and it really needs something more spicy, as it ended up tasting a bit heavy and tinny with these.

2010 Ngatarawa Syrah

$$Vanilla and cracked pepper nose, restrained cherry and plum notes.

2009 Black Barn Cabernet Franc

Creosote and mesquite on the nose, unusual but pleasing.

2008 Black Barn Riesling

medium-dry, lots of nice depth and a good clean finish. To me the best Rieslings take like a grape "spirit" (or late harvest) with little or no competing fruit, and this does just that. The Villa Maria 2009 Dry Riesling is also good (a bit drier), and both of these are in the 15-25$ range.

2008 Mission Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

cellared

2007 Mission Estate Late Harvest Semillon

Strong gum eraser nose (really), lush golden color and honey-sweetness balanced from opening to finish. I don't like it as well as the Stables 2010 sticky (varietal?), which is magic, but a worthy effort.

2009 Mission Pinot Gris

Very middle of the road. To be fair, not a PG fan but Kristen did like it.

2008 Sacred Hill Helmsman Bordeaux-style Blend

cellared

2010 Elephant Hill Viognier

Tasting Notes: Floral nose, with some phenolics. First taste impossibly light, then a hint of acidity, but this faded. A bit herbaceous - lemongrass. Not much fruit, but a bit of under-ripe green grape. Nice, full mouthfeel without being heavy. No mineral tones other than a hint of chalk. A delightful bottle of wine with excellent Thai food: fish case, green curry with prawns, and red curry with seafood.

Askerne 2007 Merlot-Franc-Malbec

Super-fruity nose was a bit daunting, but first taste was pretty standard merlot. Over the course of dinner, we paired with spinach and blue cheese salad, lamb and broiled root vegetables (kumara, carrot and onion) and fruit (pear and golden kiwi) with museli and Greek yogurt. About mid meal the cab franc and malbec began to predominate, but no structure as such ever emerged and from start to finish this wine felt like an experiment.