Heard it through the GRAPEVINE
Elephant Hill Le Phant Rouge 2017 – Hawke’s Bay. Available from $19.99
2017 was a challenging growing season in Hawke’s Bay but Elephant Hill winemaker Steve Skinner has produced a commendable wine that stands up in every sense to previous vintages of this wine. A blend of 72% Merlot, 27% Syrah and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, Le Phant Rouge 2017 is made in a very forward and accessible style. It is a perfumed wine with layers of succulent dark fruits, herbal notes and some wood spice on the palate. The tannins are grippy but fine grained; adding a touch of seriousness to what is otherwise a very friendly release. It is worth noting that Le Phant Rouge 2017 has been discounted by the winery and this is an excellent opportunity for consumers looking for a ‘dinner party worthy’ wine at an affordable price point. Decanting is recommended to soften out those tannins and further round out the palate.
La Gioiosa Etamorosa DOC Prosecco NV – Treviso, Italy. Available from $17.99
The global love affair with the lightly sparkling wine of Italy continues and sales of prosecco in our local market are going from strength to strength. It’s a reliable category but, from a stylistic perspective, many of the available options in the key under $20 bracket are very similar. A few stand out each year, and it is widely agreed in the wine trade that La Gioiosa is one of the best options. Dry to taste and blessed with quite a lively sparkle, it shows a bouquet of white flowers with fresh palate of tangy fruits and a hint of hazelnut complexity. It’s perfect party fizz. The bottle presentation is excellent and this DOC release from the preferred Treviso sub-region of Veneto is a well-priced flute filler that is sure to have wide appeal.
Clearview Estate Beachhead Chardonnay 2019 — Hawke’s Bay. Available from $22.99
Clearview winemaker Matt Kirby is clearly on a roll with his latest releases and this 2019 estate grown chardonnay takes the much loved Beachhead model and turns the volume up a few more clicks. Bold flavours and generosity have long been the Clearview signature and that’s exactly what you get here. Look for punchy summer stonefruit flavours that luxuriate in a creamy palate that balances weight, texture and oak with a line of fresh acidity that keeps the conversation focused and clean. Anyone who loves robust, barrel-fermented Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay will find much to enjoy here. To my mind, the oak and fruit-weight balance is right on the money. I’ll be stocking up and will enjoy tasting this engaging expression as it develops over the coming five or more years.
Champagne Palmer & Co Brut Reserve NV – France. Available from $64.99
This is impressive Champagne; a rich and vibrant style that offers more weight and palate intensity than the majority of the bigger brands who dominate sales in this price band. Founded in 1947 from a small collection of seven grower families, Palmer & Co has developed quite the reputation and their Brut Reserve offers upfront notes of orchard blossom and citrus before almond and baked bread flavours flood the palate. Underlying power is the hallmark here and, while this is classically dry and elegantly textured Champagne, those creamy brioche characters drive to the finish which sings with fresh acidity. Aged for 4 years in the cellars prior to release (compared to 2 or 3 years maximum for other serious houses), the blend contains a high proportion of aged reserve wines (close to 30% ), hence the name “Brut Reserve”. I often think New Zealanders see Champagne as a celebratory experience rather than a source of definable flavour and, for many, the attraction of the big brands is that the buyer will be seen by a wider audience to be drinking Champagne. Over the years, I have run many blind Champagne tastings and, typically, participants find that their preferred brand is not the wine they pick as their favourite in a blind line up. I suspect that if I ran a Champagne tasting with Palmer & Co Brut Reserve as one of the options, it would be one of the top picks. It’s such an attractive style and the reserve wines in the blend add real magic on the palate. Highly recommended.
Take it to the Grave Shiraz 2019, 975ml – Barossa, Australia. Available from $19.99
Take it to the Grave is a side project for celebrated Barossa winemaker Corey Ryan – a man who has stints as head winemaker at Villa Maria, McWilliams and Henschke under his belt. The 975ml ‘squealers’ are certain to be what draws you here, but there is plenty of flavour lurking in these cool, squat bottles. Vinted from a blend of Barossa Valley and Langhorne Creek fruit, it's a real ‘pleasure wine' - soft, generous, and downright gluggable shiraz that’s been made to be sloshed into glasses and enjoyed with great gusto. With the BBQ season in full effect, this juicy wine is tailor-made for smoky, grilled meats and is sure to be a conversation starter whenever friends gather.
Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel 2018 – Lodi, California. Available from $19.99
This is full-bodied zinfandel from the preferred Lodi County sub-region of California. As the name suggests, this 2018 release was vinted from 35-80 year old vines from sites that include some of the oldest vine material in California. It’s a dark concentrated wine that comes with layers of spicy red fruits and rich Christmas cake flavours. Notes of sweet vanilla and some choco-berry characters add complexity and palate depth but it’s the powerful zinfandel fruits that drive proceedings here. It’s such a classic Californian style , and while regular zinfandel buyers will find themselves immediately at home, Gnarly Head should be on the shopping list of habitual Aussie reds buyers who need to put some spice in their lives.