Dr James Forrest ran a tasting on New Zealand reds at last week’s NZ Winegrowers Trade Fair at the Seoul Plaza Hotel. The seminar was titled “The Rise of New Zealand Reds” 뉴질랜드로 레드와인 수준 등의. He talked about how NZ pinot noir offers value for money relative to American pinot and burgundy. He talked in detail about clones and the heritage of New Zealand vines. I won’t bore you with the technical details of that. We tasted eight wines: four pinots, a syrah, a merlot and two cabernet sauvignon/merlot blends. Here are my tasting notes:
1. Spy Valley Pinot Noir Marlborough 2009 피노 누와
Young strawberries on the nose. Strawberries, vibrant acids and fresh red berries through the palate. Tannins are a little too chewy. (In the market, retail unknown.)
2. Pencarrow Pinot Noir Martinborugh 2009 피노 누와
Distinctive Martinborough nose of leather, smoke and game. These regional characteristics are balanced and integrated rather than overwhelming. Tannins are nicely placed with good acidity throughout. Young but balanced and composed with a clean fruit finish. (2006 vintage in the market but impossible to find recent vintages.)
3. Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Waipara 2008 피노 누와
Limestone terroir of Waipara coming through. Dense, dark and built to last. Finesse and balance. Tannins are well placed with decent grip. 2008 was a difficult year for New Zealand pinot but this wine is still excellent. Should be beautiful in another 5 years. (2006 vintage in the market but impossible to find recent vintages.)
4. Mud House Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009 피노 누와
Mushrooms, forest floor and dark cherries on the nose. Dark berryfuit, anise and plum through the palate. Compact fruit, more mushrooms and a touch of flint and subtle thyme. Youthful and tight. Should open up in 2-3 years. (90,000 won)
5. Vidal Reserve Syrah Hawkes Bay 2007 쉬라
Thin, lighter style of Syrah from a warm climate. Perfumed nose with white pepper and some spice. Smooth tannins. Rounded fruit and soft core. (Not in Korea)
6. Villa Maria Reserve Merlot Hawkes Bay 2008 메를로
Approachable with rounded fruit. Sandy tannins are a little too rough. Fruit forward through the palate with red berryfruit finish. (In the market, 30,000 won retail)
7. Trinity Hill Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Hawkes Bay 2008 카 베르네 소비뇽/메를로
Leather and plum merlot notes on the bouquet along with some red currant and cassis. Fruit forward with ripe tannins. (Not in Korea)
8. Newton Forrest Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2006 카 베르네 소비뇽/메를로
Ripe fruit bouquet and leather and rich plums. Ultra-ripe tannins and acids misplaced. Thick leather textures overwhlem the palate. (Not in Korea)
By Joshua Hall
Very interesting reading, this. A few years back, I worked on the Akarua vineyard (don’t know if you’ve heard of that one) in Central Otago (Bannockburn) and grew to love the local Pinot Noirs — and not just from Akarua.
A CO Pinot tends to be more expensive than your average NZ red, but the prices in Korea really put me off. In NZ, I wouldn’t pay more than $50 (and only then on special occasions) on a bottle. I found some great wines (to my underdeveloped palate) in that range and only the CO pinots (my favourites) were always over $30.
Have you seen the Marlborough “South Island Pinot Noir”? Or was it called, “Central Otago Pinot Noir”? Anyway, in Korea (Home Plus etc.) it goes for about 40,000 won. Last time I was in NZ, I saw it for $17.59 NZD.
Sure, that’s not a fantastic wine (still pretty nice to me, though), but my point is, there are French (and other) wines (pinots, and the like) here that are much the same in quality (to me — as I said, I’m no expert) but are much more affordable.
Have you heard about the tarrifs on NZ products in Korea? A while back, I read that the tarrifs on NZ products are an average of 50%. I’d love to try some nice NZ pinots, but I can’t justify spending over double the price compared to back home. To me, it just doesn’t represent good value for money. I suppose I’ll just have to save up for a big splurge on my next visit back home.
By the way, have you heard of any news of the new(-ish) vineyards in the Waitaki valley? I heard they were very promising.
Cheers
Matthew