The medal winning wines of the 2016 New Zealand International Wine Show were released yesterday. Of the 2067 wines entered for judging, there were 214 (10.35%) gold medals awarded, 344 (16.64%) silver and 876 (42.38% bronze medals, making a total of 1434 (69.38%) wines awarded medals.
This is this country’s largest wine judging competition, run by Kingsley Wood as Competition Director. The judging took place over 12-14 September in Auckland, with Bob Campbell MW as Chairman of Judges, Huon Hooke from Australia as the guest overseas judge, who was also an Assistant Chief Judge along with John Hancock, Larry McKenna and Peter Cowley, leading a large team of arguably some of the most experienced and capable judges in the country.
The most significant result of this year’s competition was that 30 gold medals were awarded to Villa Maria. Such a high proportion of gold medals going to one company is unprecedented. This result was supported by the fact that of 125 wines entered by Villa Maria to be judged, 100 were awarded medals. This confirms the extremely high quality of the Villa Maria wines, and the result is a continuation of the success the company has been enjoying for many years.
The trophy awards and ‘Legend of New Zealand Wine’ will be announced at the awards dinner on Saturday 1 October. Following is my analysis of the gold medal results by category, and a list of the 214 gold medal winning wines. For a full list of the medal wines, go to www.nziws.co.nz
An Analysis of the Gold Medal Results
Arguably the most successful class was Chardonnay with 26 gold medals awarded. Hawke’s Bay was the most awarded region with 17 of the golds. 17 of the winners came from the 2015 vintage, confirming the excellent performance of the variety that year. And of the 26 golds, 10 went to the Villa Maria group brands.
Of the large classes, there were 24 golds for Sauvignon Blanc, 21 of which were from Marlborough and 21 from the 2016 vintage. The growing season in 2016 in Marlborough was challenging due to the heat, accounting for the moderate number of golds.
Shiraz/Syrah was the most awarded category with 29 golds. As usual, this was dominated by Australian wines with 22 golds, that country accounting for the vast majority of these entries. There were 7 New Zealand golds here. 6 going to Hawke’s Bay and 6 going to 2014 vintage wines, supporting the evidence of the excellence of that vintage.
There were 26 gold medals for Pinot Noir. Interestingly, of these, 12 went to Marlborough wines and 8 to Central Otago, with 4 going to Wairarapa wines. 2015 was a success for Pinot Noir, with 16 wines from that vintage gaining gold.
The Sparkling class was dominated by Champagne with 14 of the 18 golds going to that delimited region. The Aromatic Whites gave varied results as usual, with 11 Rieslings gaining gold, all from New Zealand with one aged Australian wine. There were 13 Pinot Gris golds, of which 7 came from Marlborough, the overall number low for the number of entries. There were only 5 Gewurztraminer golds. Australia dominated the Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines with 10 of the 12 golds. And similarly, New Zealand dominated the 10 Merlot-based wine golds winning 9 of them, all from Hawke’s Bay.
There were 9 golds awarded to Rosé wines, all from 2016, as can be expected. This is a good result for a category that growers, winemakers, judges, critics and consumers are still coming to grips with in understanding the requirements of the style.
There were only 5 golds in the Viognier and Other Whites class, 3 actually going to Viognier-based wines. There were no golds for Gruner Veltliner or Albarino.
There were only 4 golds going to International Wines, but this is due to the low number of imported wine entries, according to Kingsley Wood. 11 golds went to Fortified Wines, 9 to European wines, of which 6 were Port and 3 were Sherry, and 2 to Australian wines.
The Gold Medal Winners
Here are the 214 gold medal inning wines:
Chardonnay
Alchemy Chardonnay2014
Church Road Grand Reserve Chardonnay2014
Clearview Estate Beachhead Chardonnay2015
Clearview Estate Reserve Chardonnay2015
Coopers Creek SV ‘Limeworks’ Hawkes Bay Chardonnay2015
Coopers Creek Swamp Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay2014
Delegat Crownthorpe Terraces Chardonnay2015
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay2015
Gibbston Valley China Terrace Chardonnay2015
Kim Crawford Small Parcels Wild Grace Chardonnay2014
Rod McDonald Wines One Off Chardonnay2015
Rod McDonald Wines Quarter Acre Chardonnay2015
Saint Clair Omaka Reserve Chardonnay2015
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 10 Twin Hills Chardonnay2014
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 11 Cell Block Chardonnay2014
Vidal Legacy Hawkes Bay Chardonnay2011
Vidal Legacy Hawkes Bay Chardonnay2014
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawkes Bay Chardonnay2015
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Marlborough Chardonnay2015
Villa Maria Reserve Gisborne Barrique Fermented Chardonnay2015
Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay2015
Villa Maria Reserve Marlborough Chardonnay2015
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Keltern Chardonnay2014
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Keltern Chardonnay2015
West Brook Waimauku Chardonnay2015
Whitehaven Marlborough Chardonnay2015
Sauvignon Blanc
Brancott Estate Letter Series ”B” Sauvignon Blanc2016
Brancott Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2016
Brancott Estate Terroir Series Sauvignon Blanc2016
Church Road Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc2016
Coopers Creek Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2016
Crosse Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2016
Esk Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2016
Giesen The Fuder Dillons Point Sauvignon Blanc2015
Hawkesbridge Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2016
Huntaway Reserve Sauvignon Blanc2014
Morton Estate White Label Sauvignon Blanc2016
Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc2016
Pa Road Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2016
Rapaura Springs Reserve Sauvignon Blanc2016
Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc2016
Selaks Reserve Sauvignon Blanc2016
Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc2016
Starborough Family Estate Sauvignon Blanc2016
Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2016
te Pa “Oke” Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2015
Tiki Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2016
Tohu Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc2016
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Marlborough Organic Sauvignon Blanc2016
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2016
Riesling
Beach House Riesling2016
Boreham Wood Single Vineyard Riesling2016
d’Arenberg The Dry Dam Riesling2010
Forrest The Doctors’ Riesling2016
Giesen Estate Riesling2015
Maude, Mt Maude Vineyard East Block Riesling2016
Mount Riley Riesling2016
Riverby Estate Marlborough Eliza Riesling2014
Stoneleigh Marlborough Riesling2016
Two Rivers ‘Juliet’ Riesling2016
Wither Hills Marlborough Riesling2014
Gewürztraminer
Giesen The Brothers Gewurtraminer2014
Greystone Gewurztraminer2014
Petane Station Gewurztraminer2015
Villa Maria Private Bin East Coast Gewurztraminer2016
Whitehaven Marlborough Gewurztraminer2016
Viognier & Other White Varieties
Goldie Estate Reserve Viognier2015
d’Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne2015
Esk Valley Hawkes Bay Verdelho2016
Tahbilk Roussanne Marsanne Viognier2013
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawkes Bay Arneis2015
Pinot Gris
Aronui Nelson Pinot Gris2016
Lone Goat Canterbury Winemaker’s Collection Pinot Gris2012
Mission Estate VS Pinot Gris2015
Petane Station Pinot Gris2015
Peter Yealands Reserve Pinot Gris2016
Rapaura Springs Pinot Gris2016
te Pa Marlborough Pinot Gris2016
The Kings Thorn Pinot Gris2016
Theory & Practice Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris2016
Thornbury Waipara Pinot Gris2016
Tohu Awatere Valley Pinot Gris2016
Two Rivers ‘Brookby Hill’ Pinot Gris2016
Waipara Hills Waipara Valley Pinot Gris2016
Sweet Wines
Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling2013
Riverby Estate Marlborough Noble Riesling2015
Villa Maria Reserve Marlborough Noble Riesling Botrytis Selection2015
Whitehaven Marlborough Noble Riesling2014
Champagne, Methode Traditionelle & Sparkling
Ayala Brut Majeur ChampagneNV
Ayala Brut Rose Majeur ChampagneNV
Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve ChampagneNV
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose ChampagneNV
Bollinger Special Cuvee ChampagneNV
Champagne Charles de Cazanove Tete de Cuvee Brut2000
Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve ChampagneNV
Daniel Le Brun Methode Traditionnelle Blanc de Blanc2011
Delaplace ChampagneNV
Drappier Carte Blanche ChampagneNV
Drappier Carte D’Or ChampagneNV
Hunter’s MiruMiru™ Reserve2011
Hunter’s MiruMiru™ RoséNV
Louis Roederer Brut Premier ChampagneNV
Louis Roederer Brut Rose Vintage Champagne2010
Louis Roederer Brut Vintage Champagne2008
Piper Heidsieck Cuvee Brut ChampagneNV
Verde BrutNV
Rosé and Blush
Aspiring Flats Central Otago Rosé2016
Awatere River by Louis Vavasour Rose2016
Esk Valley Hawkes Bay Rose2016
Forrest The Doctors’ Rose2016
Hunter’s Marlborough Rosé2016
Kahurangi Estate Rose2016
SOHO White Collection Pinot Noir Rose2016
Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Rose2016
Wooing Tree Rose2016
Cabernet Sauvignon & Cabernet Predominant Blends
Beach House Cabernet Malbec2014
Beresford Classic Cabernet Sauvignon2015
d’Arenberg The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon2013
d’Arenberg The Galvo Garage Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot Merlot Cabernet Franc2012
Hardys Tintara Cabernet Sauvignon2013
Jip Jip Rocks Cabernet Sauvignon2015
Kirrihill Wines, Vineyard Selection, Clare Valley, Tullymore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon2013
Nest Egg Cabernet Sauvignon2012
Nest Egg Cabernet Sauvignon2013
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Cabernet Merlot2014
Shingleback D Block Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon2013
Sister’s Run Bethlehem Block Cabernet Sauvignon2015
Merlot & Merlot Predominant Blends
Church Road McDonald Series Hawke’s Bay Merlot2013
Church Road Merlot Cabernet Malbec2014
Delegat Crownthorpe Terraces Merlot2015
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Malbec Cabernet Franc2014
Sileni Estate Selection Triangle Merlot2014
Taylors Merlot2015
Te Awa Single Estate Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon2014
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon2014
Villa Maria Private Bin Hawkes Bay Merlot2015
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Braided Gravels Organic Merlot2013
Malbec, Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot Predominant
Stonyridge Vineyard Luna Negra Malbec2015
Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Malbec2013
West Brook Hawkes Bay Malbec2015
Shiraz/Syrah and Shiraz/Syrah Predominant Blends
Bird in Hand Shiraz2014
Church Road McDonald Series Hawke’s Bay Syrah2014
d’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz2013
Enchanted Tree Shiraz2014
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Syrah2014
Goldie Estate Reserve Syrah2014
Grant Burge Filsell Old Vine Shiraz2014
Johnny Q Shiraz2014
Johnny Q Shiraz Viognier2014
Kirrihill Wines, Vineyard Selection, Tullymore Vineyard, Clare Valley Shiraz2014
Landaire Single Vineyard Shiraz2013
Landaire Single Vineyard Shiraz2014
Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz2015
Lion’s Tooth of McLaren Vale Shiraz Riesling2014
Mission Estate Reserve Syrah2015
Rockbare Shiraz2014
Shingleback Local Heroes Shiraz Grenache2015
Squid Ink Shiraz2014
Talisman Syrah2014
Tar & Roses Heathcote Shiraz2014
Taylors Jaraman Shiraz2015
Tenafeate Creek One Tree Hill Basket Press Shiraz2014
The Barry Brothers Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon2014
The Descendant of Squid Ink Shiraz2014
Three Dark Horses Shiraz2015
Treasures McLaren Vale Shiraz2014
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawkes Bay Syrah2014
Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Syrah2014
Wolf Blass Gold Label Barossa Shiraz2014
Grenache Predominant
Chapel Hill The Parson GSM2015
Haselgrove Switch Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre2014
Pirramimma Stocks Hill GSM2013
Red Knot McLaren Vale Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre2015
Pinot Noir
Akarua Pinot Noir2015
Alexander Martinborough Pinot Noir2015
Aspiring Flats Central Otago Pinot Noir2015
Delta Pinot Noir2015
Falcon Ridge Estate Pinot Noir2015
Framingham Pinot Noir2015
Giesen Single Vineyard Clayvin Pinot Noir2014
Johner Estate Pinot Noir Gladstone2014
Julicher 99 Rows Pinot Noir2014
Kiritea Martinborough Pinot Noir2013
Maude Pinot Noir2015
Mondillo Pinot Noir2015
Nautilus Awatere River Vineyard Pinot Noir2014
Nobilo Icon Pinot Noir2014
Peregrine Pinot Noir2014
Rapaura Springs Reserve Pinot Noir2015
Rock n Pillar Central Otago Pinot Noir2015
Rocky Point Pinot Noir2015
Sileni Estate Selection Plateau Pinot Noir2015
SOHO Havana Pinot Noir2015
Summerhouse Pinot Noir2015
Vavasour Felix’s Pinot Noir2015
Villa Maria Reserve Marlborough Pinot Noir2013
Villa Maria Reserve Marlborough Pinot Noir2014
Wild Earth Pinot Noir2014
Yealands Estate Winemaker’s Reserve Awatere Valley Marlborough Pinot Noir2015
International & Other Red Varieties
Bodegas Borsao Monte Oton2015
Chateau Des Ganfards Bergerac Rouge2014
Obsidian Montepulciano2015
Quinta do Crasto ‘Crasto Superior’2013
Fortified Wines
Croft Vintage Port2011
Dows Late Bottle Vintage2009
Gonzales Byass Nectar Pedro XiminezDulce
Grahams SixGrapes
Krohn 10 Year Old TawnyPort
Krohn Colheita1998
Krohn Quinta do Retiro Novo Vintage Port2011
McWilliams Show Reserve Tawny25YO
McWilliams Show Reserve Topaque25YO
Williams & Humbert AlegriaManzanilla
Williams & Humbert ‘Don Zoilo’ 12 Year Old PedroXimenez
