Coopers Creek Pinot Noir 2006

This wine, at about $16, was about the cheapest New Zealand pinot at Dan's last night. I don't know anything about Coopers Creek. Their website makes them look pretty industrial.

As I've mentioned before, I like Marlborough pinot and the examples I've tried have a prettiness that can be delicious. The colour looks promising, being a relatively dense ruby that shines nicely in the glass. This wine seems to have all the elements - attractive plummy fruit, some stalkiness, perhaps a bit of caramel oak, relatively firm tannins. But it's like tasting a wine from the other side of world, so lacking in intensity and presence are the flavours. I kept hoping the wine would open up a little, but I don't think there's enough there to transmit the sort of generosity I would have liked. Like having a nice meal waved under your nose and then taken away before you can get stuck in.

Having said that, it was a pleasant enough quaffer, refreshing, and not offensive in any way.

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.

Giesen Pinot Noir 2004

The standard Giesen Sauvignon Blanc has been a standby for us for some time. It's a pretty blatant expression of New Zealand sauvignon blanc, but when you're in the mood for something fragrant and juicy, it's hard to go past, especially at the price. I spotted the Giesen Pinot Noir the other day and decided to give it a whirl in hopes that it would match its white sibling and be a cheap, reliable choice. This 2004 edition is a blend of Marlborough and Canterbury grapes.

On opening, there's a nice burst of stalky aromatics. I know stalks are a bit love or hate in pinot noir, but I happen to like some stalk and so eagerly sniffed some more and got... more stalk. In the mouth, there's (surprise) more stalk, which would be fine except that when the stalk ends (about mid-palate) there's nothing left. The wine is very fruit-light, and I couldn't detect more than a hint of red fruit lurking in there.

We finished half the bottle and left the other half overnight. I've just retasted the wine this evening and the stalk has almost entirely blown off, leaving the wine essentially flavourless. There's a greenish sourness towards the back palate, but otherwise nothing of note.

Very disappointing.

Dog Point Pinot Noir 2005

Marlborough pinot. I know Martinborough and Central Otago seem to hog the limelight when it comes to NZ pinot, but I reckon Marlborough pinot has its own, very attractive character. It has a very bright, fruit driven flavour profile that manages to be luscious without any hint of "fake raspberry" confection that you find in some Australian pinots.

I reckon this Dog Point Pinot is a good example. It is quite forward and most definitely fruit driven, but what it lacks in (introduced) complexity it makes up for in deliciousness. It's all about the fruit. Bright, red, cherry-like, balancing sweet and sour with finesse. There are wisps of savoury character that frame and support the fruit: a bit of sappiness, a hint of stalk, some light caramel oak influence. Acidity is beautifully judged and fine, noticeable only insofar as it's impossible to ignore how much this wine makes one's mouth water. Most of all, though, you wouldn't want to mask the gorgeous voluptuousness of that fruit, and the winemaking is careful to help it shine. So easy to drink.