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Sister’s Ridge Pinot Noir 2010

Phil Oxera — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:35:56 +0000

Cracking good value Pinot Noir from Cheviot Hills in North Canterbury. Bright fruit with some surprisingly good savoury characters coming through for a Pinot at this price.

Black Quail Pinot Noir 2008

Phil Oxera — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:03:41 +0000

Central Otago’s harsh and marginal climate is ideal for the production of pure, vibrant Pinot Noir. Black Quail’s agenda is to expression the ‘terroir’ of their famed Felton Rd site. The poor soils with limited fertility encourages vine vigour and a section of the vineyard that performed exceptionally well over the past three years was selected to produce the 2008 Black Quail. Extra viticultural effort was focused on this section with small teams dedicated to selecting grapes of health and harmony. Transported in small bins to the winery, destemmed and fermented naturally in small lots, hand punched between 1 – 3 times daily, a nine day cold soak followed by a seven day fermentation then seven days of post fermentation maturation before being pressed to barrel. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in the spring and was racked out of barrel in late summer prior bottling.

A mysterious example from Black Quail, a darker creature than the classic 2007 but one that unfolds to reveal coco, blackberries, beetroot and oregano. Deep and extremely complex, wild but poised, offering muscular minerality, cherry, tar, earth and violets. The Palate is voluptuous with sweet earth and spice, but the pace and energy speaks of the harsh origins of Felton Road.

Coney Que Sera Syrah 2009

Phil Oxera — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:26:10 +0000

Just when you thought it was safe to buy Hawkes Bay Syrah, along comes this absolute gem from Martinborough. Ripe, lush, elegant and complex. If you’re thinking “WTF?? Martinborough Syrah?” then give this a try. You’ll be pleasantly surprised, if not completely converted!

Here’s what Tim Coney has to say about the whole thing:

Good wine is at least as interesting as most human beings. But if you wanted to personify Que Sera who would it be?

Gender is easy – male, or more precisely, masculine. Beyond this, intriguing and complex are obvious requirements. I thought initially James Bond but he’s too flashy and his tastes too ostentatious. And Sean Connery is too hirsute. Wrong texture! We need someone more refined. Peter O’Toole perhaps or better still his rendition of Lawrence of Arabia. Best I can do, but you get the idea.

In more conventional terms Que Sera is dense, dark, and bright with plum/spice/pepper and a dash of cigar box and cinnamon on the nose. Same on the palate which is warming but not hot. Mouthfeel is smooth and firm hinting at a minimum life of 5 – 6 years.

After 7 years in the ground and a commercially lunatic fruit thinning regime of 1 bunch per shoot our Que Sera Syrah has now hit its straps. Treat it nicely and with respect. Will suit gourmands, gourmets and even gonads alike!

Que Sera was picked late, on 28 April, at 26 brix, soaked and fermented for 27 days with hand-plunging 3 times each 24 hours. Thence to French oak, 30% new, and finally to bottle – and your table, oh fortunate creature!

Stone Paddock Syrah 2009

Phil Oxera — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:12:13 +0000

Wine Notes
An initial aroma of white pepper and savoury notes opens up with sweet boysenberry, red cherry and five-spice powder along with floral notes of violet and rose petal. The palate is velvety soft with ripe fleshy fruit flavours of red plum and wild berries, a mineral elegance and smoky oak notes. This Syrah is finely structured and savoury with a long, spicy plum finish.

Food match
A bright, firm and food-friendly wine, the 2009 Syrah is great matched with barbequed red meats, pork, or mushroom and eggplant dishes.

Viticulture
Several clones of Syrah are grown at the Paritua vineyard in Hawkes Bay. Soils are stony river gravels with a silt loam cover. The loam top layer varies in depth from 50cm deep to being completely absent. This soil variation also causes some variation in flavour profile, with the silt producing more pepper notes and the stones a riper floral spectrum. Fruit thinning is essential and the canopy is fastidiously managed to allow good sunlight and aeration.

Cellaring Potential
This wine will benefit from cellaring till 2015.

Winemaking
Whole bunch fruit was de-stemmed and partially crushed to tank. Fermentation was preceded by a period of cold soaking. Fermentation temperatures reached 30°C and daily cap management varied from two to four pump overs a day. The wine is pressed on taste and transferred to barrel for malolactic conversion. Barrel maturation is in French oak barriques (20% new) for 10 months. Prior to bottling, the Syrah had a light fining and filtration.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Alcohol by volume 13.5%

Titratable acidity 4.8
pH 3.67
Cases made 870

Closure: Stelvin Lux

Maison de Grand Esprit ‘La Belle Voisine’ Pouilly Fuissé 2007

Phil Oxera — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:02:05 +0000

Simply superb. Creamy nuts and honey with tantalising herbal notes and a touch of gentle citrus oil. This chardonnay is a wonderful blend of old world and new, and is the first place you should look if you’re wanting to stray outside of the antipodean styles you’ve enjoyed for so long but weren’t sure where to start.

Leo Buring Tamar Valley Riesling 2005

Phil Oxera — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:51:04 +0000

Crikey! What a find!! This riesling is simply stunning. Now known as ‘Leopold’ the current available vintage is 2008, but we’ve managed to get hold of a few cases of this fantastic Tassie cracker they found knocking about the warehouse. If you’re a fan of the Leopold Riesling then this will knock your socks off. Be quick while it lasts.

Smythe Road ‘Creedence’ Shiraz 2008

Phil Oxera — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 07:28:59 +0000

A slight change to the label but otherwise the same “Pure Barossa Shiraz” we came to know and love in the 2007. Complex, rich and elegant. See the description of the 2007 for more details.

2008 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon

Phil Oxera — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:43:27 +0000

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon represents the Penfolds house red wine style at its most rich and powerful. Everything about Bin 707 is large scale. Winemakers seek fully ripe fruit with strong flavours derived from partial barrel fermentation in new American oak hogsheads for a period of 18 months. It is an immensely concentrated style with dark berry/dark chocolate fruit balance by well-seasoned new oak, plenty of fruit sweetness and strong but not overwhelming tannins. This is a medium to long-term cellaring style of wine. If you can wait the distance, Bin 707 builds up into a wonderfully complex and interesting wine.

Colour: deep magenta red.
Nose: gloriously intense and fresh violet/inky/blackcurrant/mocha/sweet fuit aromas with lavender/sage nuances.
Palate: a generously proportioned wine with concentrated blackcurrant/dark cherry/elderberry flavours, plenty of sweet fruit richness, fine dense velvety/cedary tannins and underlying savoury integrated new oak. A fabulously concentrated wine with superb freshness, percussion of fruit and vinosity. The 2008 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon will be remembered as one of the finest ever. It has the power and generosity of fruit to go the distance.
Vineyard region: Coonawarra, Barossa Valley and Wrattonbully.

Alc/Vol: 14.5%
Acidity: 5.9g/L
pH: 3.30

Peak Drinking 2015-2040

Locharburn Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Phil Oxera — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:14:46 +0000

Shows attractive lifted fruit aromas of gooseberry, citrus and tropical fruit with a hint of herbaceousness – typical of Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc. Good weight and texture.

Its ripe bold, expressively intense southern flavours of fresh cut grass and tropical fruit give Central Otago, a new voice from an outstanding vintage.
Joelle Thomson, drinkbiz, October 2010

4 Stars: Fresh wine with passion fruit, peach, citrus and subtle herb flavours. Quite a fresh and lively character with a hint of mineral and smoky gunflint.
(86/100) Bob Campbell, November 2010

41/2 Stars: An excellent Sauvignon from Central Otago, displaying classic varietal aromas of lime zest, passionfruit and capsicum. The palate is well flavoured and beautifully balanced with bright acidity and a juicy mouthfeel.
Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Issue 14, 2011

Harvest 24 Brix
Alcohol 14.0%
RS 4 g/l
TA 6 g/l

Locharburn Central Otago Pinot Gris 2010

Phil Oxera — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:06:26 +0000

This dryish style wine has attractive lychee, pear and spice aromas. With pear and a hint of apricots on the palate, it shows good depth and complexity with fresh acidity keeping things lively.

4 Stars: A delightful take on Pinot Gris: lots of fresh pear and baked apples balanced by chalky acid and crisp dry finish. Really enjoyable.
Jane Skilton, Sunday Star Times, October 2010

4 Stars: The wine shows pure fruit notes and fragrant bouquet, displaying ripe pear, peach and
citrus characters on the nose.The palate is juicy and smooth with a touch of sweetness (5 g/l)
and bright acidity.An elegant andbeautifully balanced wine with a pleasant dry finish. (90/100)
Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Issue 11, 2010

Harvest 24-25° Brix

Alcohol 14.0%
RS 5 g/l
TA 7 g/l