This month we once again welcomed Graham Cotton who gave us a very detailed and enlightening tasting on New Zealand wines.    The wines were sourced from a small wine grower, Neil Culley Night. All the wines were voted upon and marked in the order in which the group think was the best.  The whites and the reds being marked separately.

WHITES

Culley Sauvignon Blanc from Blenheim - 2006 - Vol. 13%.

This had a good strong gooseberry nose, a typical powerful New Zealand Sauvignon with good acidity and well balanced.   Price £9.29

 St. Clare Sauvignon Blanc

from Marlborough – 2006 Vol. 13%.

This was a more complex wines a quite different style from the previous one and far more acidic and well liked by most members.  Price £10.99

Culley Chardonnay – Marlborough -  2006 –  Vol. 14.5%

 No nose to speak of but a clean and pleasant drink.  Price £8.99

Culley Riesling –

Marlborough 2005 – Vol. 13%

 The colour was very pale – pleasant patio wine but otherwise a bit lifeless.  Price £9.29

REDS

Culley Pinot Noir –

Marlborough 2006 – Vol. 13.5%

This was light, fruity – easy to drink – not a typical Pinot Noir but very pleasant with a little tannin.  Price £9.59

Siegfried Pinot Noir –

Nelson – 2003 – Vol. 14%

This was a typical Pinot Noir and well liked by most members – it had a deep  colour with a typical Pinot Noir vegetal nose, a long finish.  An excellent wine far superior to the last one with good complexity, drinking well now

Price £9.99.

 Felton Road Pinot Noir –

Central Otago 2006 – Vol. 14%.

This had the typical vegetal nose of Pinot Noir, a good colour with slight tannins, still young and will keep for a few years.  Well liked by all members.

Price £17.99

Cable Bay Five Hills –

Waiheke Island 2004.

Graham asked the members to identify the grapes in this wine – only one got all three grapes right!  They were Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.  This was quite a nice pleasant drinking wine with no specific attributes.

Price £15.99

All the wines were appraised and marked before the members were given the price and the results were as follows:-

1) Culley Sauvignon Blanc 29

2) St. Clare Sauvingnon Blanc 29

3) Culley Chardonnay 28

4) Culley Riesling     5

5) Culley Pinot Noir   3

6) Siegfried Pinor Noir 26

7) Felton Road Pinot Noir          39

8) Cable Bay Five Hills 22

 If you would like to purchase any of the above wines

Graham Cotton can be contacted at:-  gcc54@btinternet.com

Best regards,

Nan.