2013 Gladstone Vineyard and 12,000 Miles Pinot Noirs and 2014 Pinot Gris

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• 12,000 Miles Gladstone Pinot Gris 2014
  Pinot Gris from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 14-Sep-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, pale straw-yellow colour with slight green hues, light on rim. The nose is elegant with aromas of yellow stonefruits with subtle nuances of spice, honey and exotic tropical fruits that build in depth, revealing detail and interest. Dryish to taste, flavours of yellow stonefruits, nuts and honeysuckle grow to show savoury floral and pear notes on the palate. This has good vinous presence and density, and the mouthfeel has plenty of energy with soft, ripe acidity adding to the roundness. The fruit weight has drive that carries the wine to a soft-textured, lingering finish with yellow stonefruit elements. This is a soft-textured dryish Pinot Gris that grows in detail and weight. Match with Middle Eastern and Asian fare over the next 3+ years. Fruit from the ‘Boyd’, ‘Cliffs’, ‘Manaia Road’ and ‘Winery’ blocks fermented at a range of temperatures in stainless-steel to 13.0% alc. and 4.52 g/L RS, the wine aged 2 months on lees. 16.5+/20 Sep 2014 RRP $21.00
• 12,000 Miles Gladstone Pinot Noir 2013
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 13-Oct-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Light ruby-red colour, a little garnet, lighter edged. This is soft and gently full on bouquet with dark red berry fruits along with enriching oak toastiness. An elegant wine, but with fruit sweetness and depth. Fresh acidity, and light extraction, all in balance. Some oak spice and alcohol is apparent, and the acidity emerges to lend an edginess to the mouthfeel. 4+ years. Selected from up to 21 batches, predominantly 114 and 10/5. 17.5/20 Oct 2014 RRP $26.00 Moderately deep ruby-red colour with slight purple hues on rim. The nose is softly full with aromas of red berry fruits and savoury red florals, integrated with dried herb notes, the nose revealing a core of dark raspberry fruit with aeration. Light-medium bodied, juicy, savoury strawberry flavours feature on a lively, bright palate enlivened by slippery acidity. Red floral and herb nuances unfold, and the wine flows with good energy along a modestly extracted tannin line. The wine carries through to a crisp, lingering finish with red fruit notes. This is a juicy, lively and accessibly supple Pinot Noir with red fruit and herb flavours. Serve with firm-flesh fish, poultry and tapas over the next 3 years. Dijon clones, 10/5 and Abel fruit from blocks on Dakins Road along with fruit from the ‘Petrie’ vineyard, fermented with about 20% whole berries to 13.0% alc., the wine on skins up to 2 weeks post ferment and blended after 10 months maturation. 16.5/20 Sep 2014 RRP $25.00
• Gladstone Vineyard Gladstone Pinot Noir 2013
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 13-Oct-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Light ruby-red colour, pale on rim. The nose is tightly bound and slender in presentation. Cherryish fruit with herbal undertones, young vanish, but also with florals and lifted perfumes. Elegant again on palate, youthfully tight. Modest richness, but good linearity. Some cooler spectrum herb and stalkiness, compensated by the aromatic lift. Light background tannins, and in fact a little creaminess to the texture. 4-5 years. Abel and 10/5, cold soaked with a little whole cluster, 20 days on skins. 17.5/20 Oct 2014 RRP $39.00 Clones 5, 6, 114, 115, 667, 777, 10/5 and Abel, from a single vineyard on Dakins Road. Given a cold soak and indigenous yeast fermented to 13.5% alc., the wine spending 2-3 weeks on skins post ferment and aged 10 months in 23% new French oak. Even ruby-red colour with depth, and light purple hues on rim. This has an elegant and restrained nose with a soft core of ripe red berry fruits and delicate layers of florals and earth, revealing red liquorice and cherry liqueur in the glass. Medium-full bodied and elegantly proportioned, sweetly ripe and pure fruit flavours of red berry fruits and florals form a gently concentrated core. Some floral lift and earthy, herbal elements add interest. Fine-grained tannins and fresh, lacy acidity provide excellent balance to the fruit richness, and the wine carries through to a long, lingering, red-fruited finish. This is an elegant, fresh and sweet-fruited Pinot Noir with a fine, balanced mouthfeel. Match with poultry and pork dishes over the next 4+ years. 17.5/20 Sep 2014 RRP $37.00