Featured Reviews



Spade Oak ‘Voysey’ ‘Le Champ’ and 2016 Pinot Gris

05 April,2017
Steve and Eileen Voysey deem their Spade Oak ‘Voysey’ range "to be poured with confidence”. The tier is the more affordable and accessible than the ‘Heart of Gold’ and ‘Vigneron’ ranges, but the wines are made with the same degree of thought and care. This can be seen in the new ‘Le Champ’ sparkling. Steve, with his considerable experience in developing ‘Lindauer’, and recently his interest in Prosecco has created ‘Le Champ’ to investigate the Prosecco lower carbonation palate structure, but retain more fruit and have a degree of seriousness. While the wine is all from one vintage and predominantly from one region, these are not the important influences, but incidental to the style. The 2016 Pinot Gris is right down the line, and follows previous releases that have proven to be very successful. Steve now has 30 years of winemaking experience behind him, and with the able support of wife Eileen, any Spade Oak wine is worthy of attention. I review the two new wines here. www.spadeoak.co.nz

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW


Spade Oak ‘Voysey’ ‘Le Champ NV
Sparkling Wine from New Zealand - North Island

17.5+/20
Golden yellow colour with some depth and slight orange hues, lighter on the rim. The bubbles are very fine and moderately persistent. The bouquet is softly full with good depth and concentration of citrus and yellow stonefruit aromas complexed by a layering of nutty, aldehyde and oxidative elements in an amalgam of yeasty lees. Off-dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate is soft-textured with a light creaminess from the effervescence which carries a soft core of yellow stonefruits and citrus fruits, entwined with nutty and yeasty notes, and subtle aldehyde elements. The palate flows along a soft and fine-textured line with gentle acidity providing a fresh mouthfeel. The wine carries to a gentle finish of citrus fruits and nuts. This is a complex sparkling wine with flavours of yellow stonefruits, nuts and yeast, and nuances of aldehyde on a creamy, soft-textured palate. Serve with canapes, tapas and antipasto over the next 2-3 years. A blend of 46% Chardonnay, 39% Pinot Noir, 12% Muscat and 3% Pinot Meunier, the fruit 85% from Gisborne and the remainder from Hawke’s Bay, all of the fruit from 2014. Undergoing the Charmat method, to 12.0% alc. and 10 g/L RS, 88% undergoing MLF (not the Muscat), the wine spending 6 months on lees with a tirage of 30 days. 17.5+/20 Apr 2017 RRP $19.95

Disclaimer: This wine is distributed by ‘Wine2Trade’, the company under which ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ operates

Spade Oak ‘Voysey’ Gisborne Pinot Gris 2016
Pinot Gris from New Zealand – Gisborne

17.5-/20
Bright, very pale straw colour with slight green hues, near colourless on the rim. This is very elegant andfine in presentation with fragrant aromas of white stonefruits and pears, along with exotic rose-petal florals and honeysuckle notes, unfolding fresh, lifted fermentation esters. Medium-dry to taste and light-medium bodied, the palate has an elegant, tightly bound core with aromatic white stonefruit and pear flavours entwined with pears, honeysuckle, exotic florals and lifted esters. The palate builds in richness as it flows along a smooth line, with soft acidity enhancing the roundness, but providing underlying tension. The wine leads to a light aromatic finish. This is a gently rich, medium-dry Pinot Gris with aromatic fruit lift and a soft, accessible palate. Match with Asian and Middle Eastern fare over the next 2-3 years. Clones 457 and M2 fruit from Gisborne, tank-fermented to 13.0% alc. and 10 g/L RS, the wine aged 6 months on lees. 415 dozen made. 17.5-/20 Apr 2017 RRP $19.95
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