Alexander Martinborough Rosé, Pinot Noir and Merlot

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Alexander ‘Raumati’ Martinborough Pinot Noir Rosé 2014
  Rose from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 23-Sep-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, light pink with some depth, lighter on rim with hints of purple. The nose is fresh and clean with light aromas of strawberry fruit with subtle, lifted confectionary elements, suggestions of earth and mouthwatering minerally notes. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, tight and tightly bound flavours of strawberries and fruit bon-bons are entwined with minerally elements. The fruit is up-front, and the mouthfeel is slippery flowing with a suggestion of unctuousness. Some phenolic textures emerge and lead the wine to a crisp, dry, softly fresh finish with delicate fruit nuances. This is a light, dry, strawberry-fruited rosé with confectionary hints and a slippery texture. Serve as an aperitif, with antipasto and tapas over the next 18 months to 2 years. Clone 5 Pinot Noir fermented to 13.5% alc. and 4 g/L RS. 16.5+/20 Sep 2014 RRP $24.00
• Alexander ‘Dusty Road’ Martinborough Pinot Noir 2013
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 13-Oct-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Dark, deep, ruby-red colour. This is full with deep, ripe dark berry and plum fruit aromas, quite densely packed. Some savoury earth, game and oak cedar complexities and layers unfold. A fulsome, broad wine on palate, soft and even sweet plum flavours, a little oak and liquorice. Soft, but still with good grainy texture and structure, a little low in acid. A crowd pleaser over the next 5+ years. Dijon clones 115, 667, 667 and 5, planted 1998. All seasoned oak, this is a selection of barrels. 18.0-/20 Oct 2014 RRP $26.00 Moderately deep, dark ruby-red colour with light purple hues on edge. The nose has gently unfolding aromas of ripe dark red berry fruits with attractive lifted floral notes, along with subtle layers of savoury dark herbs, liquorice, earth and cedary oak. Medium-full bodied, soft, juicy and plush fruit flavours of dark plums, cherries and red berries feature on the palate, forming a rounded, dense core. The fruit brightness and sweetness is enhanced by good acid liveliness and tension, but well-balanced by fine-grained, supple tannins providing structure and framework. Spicy plum and liquorice notes emerge and are carried to a concentrated, long and dry finish. This is a soft, plush and juicy Pinot Noir with freshness and soft red berry, plum and liquorice flavours. Serve with risotto, pasta, duck and pork over the next 4+ years. Fruit from the ‘Home’ vineyard, fully destemmed and fermented in equal proportions by indigenous and inoculated yeasts to 14.0% alc., the wine aged 15 months in French oak barriques, 25% new equivalence. 17.5+/20 Sep 2014 RRP $26.00
• Alexander Martinborough Pinot Noir 2010
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 23-Sep-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Hand-picked fruit, 50% Abel clone, the remainder clones 5, 6, 113 and 115, from the ‘Home’ block, destemmed and given a cold soak, fermented in equal portions by indigenous and inoculated yeast to 14.3% alc., the wine aged 18 months in 50% new French oak barriques. Dark, deep, garnet-red colour with some lighter brick hues on the rim. The bouquet is full and deeply concentrated with ripe, savoury dark red berry fruits complexed by earthy elements and sweet oak, along with a little aromatic lift. Full-bodied with excellent presence, softly rich, and concentrated flavours of sweet, dark red berry fruits are harmoniously entwined with complex secondary layers of earth and hints of game, and lifted, sweet oak. The fruit is supported by fine-grained tannin extraction and the mouthfeel has energy and vitality with discreet, underlying acidity. As the wine flows, nuances of earth, spices and oak unfold and carry through to a sustained finish. This is a stylishly fulsome and rich, dark-fruited Pinot Noir with savoury, earthy complexities and lifted oak. Match with lamb, beef and venison over the next 5-6 years. 18.0+/20 Sep 2014 RRP $36.00
• Alexander Martinborough Merlot 2011
  Merlot from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 23-Sep-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Dark, deep, ruby-red colour, lighter on rim, youthful in appearance. This has an elegant nose of moderately ripe redcurrant and dark red berry fruit aromas, infused with subtle cooler-spectrum herb nuances, and lifted with a little oak. Medium-full bodied, the palate is elegantly proportioned with good depth of redcurrant fruit intermixed with earthy and herb elements and blackcurrant notes. The mouthfeel is lively with fresh acidity and the wine follows a fine-grained tannin line, carrying the flavours to a sweet-fruited, refreshing and bright finish. This is an elegant, fresh, redcurrant-fruited Merlot with a fine-textured line. Match with roast lamb and beef dishes, and Mediterranean fare over the next 4-5+ years. Clone 481 fruit from vines planted 1997 on the clay soils of the front block of the ‘Home’ vineyard, fermented to 13.8% alc., the wine aged 16 months in French and American oak barriques, one barrel from three new. 75 dozen made. 17.0/20 Sep 2014 RRP $28.00