Vintages - May 27, 2006 Release

This release featured wines from New Zealand. Of course there were the obligatory Sauvignon Blancs, of which there were quite a few good ones, and Pinot Noirs which are rightfully starting to get as much notice as Sauvignon Blanc. For me the price to quality ratio made me reluctant to indulge in any of the Pinot Noir, but I did seems to gather from The Star (as I’m sure many others have) and other sources that the 2004 Wither Hills Pinot Noir was a top pick (93 from Stimmell) – at $45.95 is not bad value, but for me a lower priority on a limited budget. Instead my hard earned bucks went to the 2005 Drylands Sauvignon Blanc (which I reviewed in the previous post E-VG for $18.95) and 2005 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc.

I also picked out a few good values from the release which I will review now:

2004 ‘Dogajolo’ – Carpineto
Well this is actually more a word of caution than a review. This Tuscan seemed like an amazing value at $19.95 and 5/5 Stars from The Sydney Morning Herald so I got 2 bottles. Unfortunately both were spoiled smelling like fermenting beans and cork. Considering I bought them randomly from two different stores this does not seem like very good odds. I’m sure it would be great if not corked to hell, but there seems like a good chance that spoiled bottles are far from uncommon. No Rating

2003 ‘Lizard Flat’ Shiraz – Heath Wines
I was thinking of getting the Cab-Merlot but after talking to the staff at the LCBO who had tried both I decided on the Shiraz. I’m glad I did. Bottled under a screwcap (I haven’t had a spoiled screwcap wine yet) this wine delivers great value for the money. New oak lends some vanilla notes with plum, black fruit, and interesting spice nuances (fennel and black pepper) with a lengthy finish. $11.95 VG

I will be adding reviews for the 2005 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc and the Spanish red 2003 ‘Altos de Luzon’ to this post once I get to drinking them, soon I hope.

Alright here they are:

2005 Sauvignon Blanc – Seresin
This wine from Marlborough is good in its own right but not what I typically expect from a NZ Sauvignon Blanc, which is why I prefer the Drylands. I’m not noticing much passion fruit or any other tropical fruit (though some might disagree); instead I notice more temperate fruits like pear and Golden Delicious apple. There is also a tinge of oak (10% barrel fermented) which smoothes out some of the zing I like but does give it a nice mouthfeel. Also unusual is the addition of 3% Semillion. What is typical is the healthy dollop of gooseberry character. The zip does increase with exposure to air as the oak component mellows. $19.95 E-VG

2003 ‘Altos de Luzón’ – Bodegas Luzón
This ripe and rich wine comes from the Jumilla region of Spain. I noticed vanilla (from the oak) in its bouquet and aromas of ripe cherry and blackberry with definite cedar and tobacco all melded together nicely. Ample and firm tannins suggest this wine will age well for a few years, but it’s great now. Maybe some faint almond and mint in there too. Definitely some Old World wine character in it, great! 93 from Wine Spectator $22.95 E-VG