Peregrine Saddleback Pinot Noir 2005

This is Peregrine's second label pinot, with fruit from Central Otago and Marlborough regions. I haven't had a Central Otago pinot since returning from New Zealand in May, so was quite looking forward to this one. We had this by itself.

Very promising opening, with a fruity nose composed of that quite distinctive Central Otago "sweet/sour plum" note, as well as strawberries and more floral fragrances. Some savoury, perhaps lightly stalky notes also, although this wine is not overtly vegetal in flavour profile. The palate, though, seemed to be quite subdued relative to the initial nose, lighter in body than expected, lighter in intensity also, with a finish that trailed away too soon (from mid-palate onwards).

I thought perhaps it just needed some time in glass to open up, so we stretched the bottle out over a couple of hours. During that time, the attractive fruity flavours that showed initially seemd to blow off, leaving a wine that lacked substance and weight. To my palate, the wine ended up a bit thin and astringent, with attractive yet tantalisingly elusive flavours that never quite delivered on their initial promise.

I have another couple of bottles of this, I think, so we'll see how the next one goes.

Peregrine Rastaburn Riesling 2005

Another wine from the recent order from Peregrine, this time a riesling.

This is a pretty slutty sort of wine -- upfront, generous; a very public display. It's an off-dry style and the overall impression is, well, exotic. Heady aromas of white peach, lychee and (as the wine warms in the glass) spicy incense intermingle within a thick nose that lacks a little in elegance. On the palate, amirable generosity of flavour is carried along by noticeable acidity and bitter phenolics. The residual sugar is really well judged and works in favour of both fruit and structure, enhancing the former whilst moderating the latter.

This isn't the most sophisticated wine, but it's refreshing, delicious and full of flavour.

Peregrine Pinot Gris 2006

We had a good experience earlier this year visiting the Peregrine cellar door in the Gibbston sub-region of Central Otago. I found the wines to be consistently interesting, and the winemaking displayed a clear idea of style. The aromatic whites, as was the case for me at many cellar doors in Central Otago, seemed especially delicious, so I've been wanting to get stuck into some of the wines that arrived in a recent shipment from the winery. Tonight we have the 2006 Pinot Gris. I'm not a pinot gris fan, in general.

But oh, here we have a pinot gris with actual flavour. Granted, it's not an especially complex flavour, but still. The primary aromas are of crunchy pears and apples, with a slightly herbal (perhaps aniseedy) astringency adding some a non-fruity dimension to the flavour. The palate is graced with bubbly acidity that is fun and suggests the wine would benefit from some food (chicken salad is on its way). The aniseed/herbal flavour is more apparent in the mouth. Some phenolics make themselves felt, adding both mouthfeel and bitterness to the finish, and I think these are well judged. The wine feels a bit hot, but again, I couldn't say it's unbalanced at all.

I'm still not a huge pinot gris fan, but this is certainly a nice wine.

By the way, if you like Peregrine wines, they sell to Australian buyers out of a warehouse in Sydney, at their NZ prices. Just email them for an order form.