Theres a whole bunch of new wines in the market that Im super-excited about, so this week well dive right in to some pretty killer bottles for your weekend!
Heres the deal. I actually had a different theme in mind for this weeks column but when I tasted this wine, all bets were off. This is such a lovely, honest Chardonnay full of peaches, honey and layers upon layers of character. Based on natural farming in the vineyard and made from free-run juice thats fermented with wild yeast, this is the pure expression of some of the best Chardonnay grapes in the region. Lovely.
If you want to trick your wine-savvy friends, blind taste them on this Kiwi wonder and Ill almost guarantee theyll be thinking Burgundy, if not Meursault. Clay and sandstone soils keep things fresh, while the close proximity to the Tasman Sea helps the wine retain plenty of lofty acidity. Wild yeasts and 100 per cent barrel fermentation give some great complexity, highlighted by notes of honeyed puffed wheat, nougat and green apple.
Oh, how I love a pink wine that actually tastes like the grape variety its made from! Yes, this is a berry-driven, dry and crisp rosé, but the Syrah dances on the palate with blueberries, currants and a good smattering of fresh-ground pepper. Fire up the barbecue!
Last year I wrote of how impressed I was with the 2010 vintage of this wine, and Im heartened that the 2011 is just as good, if not better. Rich and plummy with balsamic reduction and flecks of vanilla bean. Its pretty soft and silky; make sure you keep swirling it in the biggest glasses youve got and let those aromas envelope you.
Ive spilled so much ink on Okanagan winemaker Chris Carson, whose Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs at Meyer Family Vineyards are amongst Canadas best. His time spent in Montrachet and Central Otago, New Zealand have served the guy well. I recently heard a rumour that he and his wife Jacqueline Kemp, who, as consulting winemaker for Tantalus amongst others, is certainly no slouch, collaborated on their own Pinot Noir from a tiny block in Naramata. Barely containing my excitement, I reached out to Chris, who got a bottle to me the very next day. The wine is amazing. Period. So good that we drank it before taking a bottle shot. (Oops!) All the cool, geeky methods went into it; whole-cluster pressed, indigenous yeast, and aged in 25 per cent new French barrels for 11 months. Full of earthy dark fruit, it has Old World finesse with cheery New World brightness. Itll be hard to track down with only 150 cases produced, so exclusive that if you want some, you have to e-mail Chris at [email protected]. Hes a great guy, hell make it happen for you.
As always, if youre having trouble tracking something down, find me via KurtisKolt.com or Tweet me @KurtisKolt
