I think at this point everyone is very familiar with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. I have to tip my hat to the Kiwis for taking something and adding their own signature to it. Personally, I have grown a little tired of drinking only NZ Sauvignon Blanc. I have joked that part of my issue with these wines are that I am now a Cat owner and something about the smell of litter box manages to waft its way out of the glass. There is also the simple issue that you can’t be a wine existentialist when it comes to any varietal. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is delicious and seriously kicks ass … But have you had French, Chilean, Californian … Niagara? All of these regions have their own signature on this grape.
Now when I had the opportunity to go to a New Zeland tasting in the spring of this year what I wasn’t expecting was a quality of Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir from New Zealand is affordable and quite delicious. When done well it strikes a balance between warmer climate flavours of very ripe cherry to the point where it’s almost jammy, but it retains it’s palate cleansing acidity. You also get a nice heavy floral perfumy flavour to many of these wines. These wines drink dangerously easy. All of these wines that I had a chance to enjoy fell between the 20-30 price range. This isn’t quite bargain basement wine pricing, but what you do get are high end bottles that are easy drinking.
2014 Villa Maria – This was the lightest out of the NZ Pinot I tasted. It’s delicate on the nose and on the palate. This wine is driven by the heavy floral flavour that hangs around long after the wine has been swallowed. Under the floral texture there is dark cherry and a nice earthiness to this wine.
2014 Squealing Pig – Easily one of my favorite labels I have ever seen. But even with a catchy label the wine still has to taste good. Fruit driven with red cherry and hints of spice. The red cherry pushes on pie filling when the wine hits your mouth. However the wonderful acidity to this wine keeps this wine from getting too heavy on the mid palate. The finish moves from ripe red fruit to floral as violets hang around in the mouth long after the wine is gone.
2013 Spy Valley – This wine is a little more balanced with equal parts earthiness, violet, and dark cherry on the nose and in the mouth. This does sit a little heavier on the mid palate thanks to a nice earthiness in this wine. If you decide to age this bottle it should bring out some more of the savoury characteristics of the wine. But to be honest this is a bottle that I wouldn’t age. The equal balance of all the flavours are like a party in your glass and I wouldn’t want to keep it bottled up.
