Baby Doll 2017 Rosé and Sauvignon, and 2016 Pinot Gris and Chardonnay

12-Sep-2017

‘Baby Doll’ is a brand under the Yealands Wine Group umbrella. It is named after Yealand's flock of miniature Babydoll sheep, which stand two feet high, and are used as "organic weeders” for all-year round mowing, pest control and as a source of fertiliser. The breed is rare and Peter Yealands introduced the sheep into his vineyards first in 2009. The flock now numbers over 1,500. The fruit sources for the wines go beyond Marlborough and have included Hawke’s Bay and Central Otago. Here, I review the 2017 Marlborough Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc, the 2016 Marlborough Pinot Gris and 2016 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay. www.babydollwines.co.nz

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

Baby Doll Marlborough Rosé 2017
Rose from New Zealand - Marlborough
Review Date : 09-Sep-2017
☆☆☆☆☆
Bright, even, pale salmon-pink colour, a little lighter on the edge. The nose is fresh, with light and subtle aromas of strawberries, quince and cranberries along with nuances of red florals and a suggestion of minerals. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate has a good core of strawberries and quince along with nuances of lifted red florals. The flavours are up-front and refreshing with crisp, lacy acidity providing zestiness. The palate has good vinosity and a dry, fine-textured line that carries to a light, mouthwatering finish, with red floral elements. This is a fresh, up-front, light-fruited dry rosé with strawberry, quince and red floral flavours and a mouthwatering palate. Serve as an aperitif and with canapes over the next 2 years. Pinot Noir fruit given a brief period of skin contact and cool-fermented in stainless-steel to 13.0% alc. and 5.2 g/L RS. 16.5+/20 Sep 2017 RRP $17.95
Baby Doll Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand - Marlborough
Review Date : 09-Sep-2017
☆☆☆☆☆
Bright, light straw-yellow colour with slight green hues, near colourless on the rim. The nose is very fresh with firm and tightly bound aromas of cut grass, nettles and fresh herbs, along with a pungent passionfruit underlay. This is classical Awatere Valley in expression. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate has fresh and lively fruit flavours of cut grass, nettles and fresh herbs, with notes of passionfruit forming an elegantly concentrated core. The mouthfeel is brisk and racy with fresh acidity, and the wine carries along a fine-textured phenolic line leading to a lingering finish of fresh herbs and nettles. This is a fresh and racy Sauvignon Blanc with archetype Awatere Valley cut grass, nettle and passionfruit aromas and flavours with a fine, dry line. Match with Pacific Rim fare over the next 2 years. Fruit 80% from the Awatere and 20% from the Wairau Valley, cool-fermented to 12.5% alc. and 4.0 g/L RS. 17.5-/20 Sep 2017 RRP $17.95
Baby Doll Marlborough Pinot Gris 2016
Pinot Gris from New Zealand - Marlborough
Review Date : 09-Sep-2017
☆☆☆☆☆
Bright straw-yellow colour, paler on the rim. The nose is fresh with gently full and voluminous aromas of white stonefruits with pears, white florals and hints of rose-petals, and subtle nutty and mineral notes. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate has up-front flavours of white and yellow stonefruits, pears and florals, unfolding hints of honeysuckle, nuts and minerals. The mouthfeel possesses a rounded core with a little unctuousness, good drive and linearity. The acidity is balanced and integrated, and the wine flows smoothly to a light, nuanced finish. This is a soft, rounded, dry Pinot Gris with white stonefruit and floral flavour, and a smooth flow. Serve with Asian and Middle Eastern fare over the next 3 years. Marlborough fruit cool-fermented in stainless-steel to 13.0% alc. and 3.8 g/L RS. 17.5-/20 Sep 2017 RRP $17.95
Baby Doll Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016
Chardonnay from New Zealand - Hawke's Bay
Review Date : 09-Sep-2017
☆☆☆☆☆
Bright, pale golden-yellow colour, lighter on the edge. This has a slender, but taut and concentrated nose with moderate intensity, showing citrus and yellow stonefruits, along with subtle hints of nuts, spicy and toasty oak and some lemon-curd MLF elements. The aromatics are fresh and bright. Medium-full bodied, this has an elegantly packed palate with flavours of citrus and white stonefruits along with nutty and spicy oak and some lemon-curd MLF detail. The palate has good flavour balance and flows with good underlying acid energy leading to a light, lingering finish. This is an elegant Chardonnay with citrus and stonefruit flavours with some oak notes on a fine-textured palate. Match with seafood, pork and poultry over the next 3 years. Chardonnay fruit from Korokipo, Crownthorpe, Bridge Pa, Clive and Mangatahi, fermented in a range of vessels to 13.5% alc., the wine aged on lees with batonnage and oak contact. 17.0/20 Sep 2017 RRP $17.95

Baby Doll 2017 Rosé and Sauvignon, and 2016 Pinot Gris and Chardonnay

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

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