Mount Brown 2015 Estate and Grand Reserve Sauvignons, and 2012 Wild River Pinot Noir

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Mount Brown Waipara Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2015
  Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand - Canterbury & Waipara

  Review Date : 18-Oct-2015

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, very pale straw colour, near colourless on rim. The nose is softly full with aromas of fresh, ripe, pungent passionfruit subtly entwined with tropical fruit and sweet herbal notes. This is gentle in expression and reveals mouthwatering chalky, mineral detail. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, fresh, youthful and intense flavours of passionfruit, tropical fruits and gooseberries form a sweet core. The mouthfeel is crisp and racy with brisk acidity, and the wine follows a dry, fine-grained phenolic line. The wine flows with good energy and liveliness to a long, dry-textured, thirst-quenching finish with passionfruit flavours. This is a crisp, intense, passionfruity Sauvignon Blanc with a dry textured, mouthwatering mouthfeel. Serve as an aperitif, with seafood, salads and vegetables over the next 2 years. Fruit from a single block, fermented in stainless-steel to 12.5% alc. and 4 g/L RS. 17.0/20 Oct 2015 RRP $14.99
• Mount Brown ‘Grand Reserve’ Waipara Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2015
  Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand - Canterbury & Waipara

  Review Date : 18-Oct-2015

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, very pale straw-yellow colour, light on edge. The nose is well-concentrated with powerful and tightly bound aromas of white and green stonefruits, nectarines and greengages, along with savoury passionfruit notes and herbs, entwined with subtly complexing spicy, nutty oak, smoke and mineral nuances. Medium-bodied, the fruit flavours of greengages and green stonefruits, herbs and spices are melded with nutty oak. This has some richness and sweetness, and the palate has depth and good concentration and an integrated textural thread. The mouthfeel features lively, lacy acidity and the wine is slippery and thirst-quenching in flow, leading to a long and concentrated, refreshing finish. This is a concentrated oak-influenced Sauvignon Blanc with a lively and refreshing palate. Serve with herb-marinated seafood, poultry and pork dishes over the next 3+ years. Fruit from 6 selected rows, fermented in barrique to 12.0% alc. and 5 g/L RS, the wine aged 4 months in 1 y.o. oak. 98 cases made. 18.5-/20 Oct 2015 RRP $19.99
• Wild River Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2012
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Canterbury & Waipara

  Review Date : 18-Oct-2015

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Ruby-red colour with lighter garnet hues on the rim. This has a soft, full bouquet of savoury and sour red cherry fruit entwined with herbs, funky earth and secondary undergrowth elements, and slightly resinous seasoned oak hints. Medium-bodied, the palate features light and gently sweet flavours of savoury red cherry fruit. Layers of savoury dame, undergrowth and dried herbs unfold to lend interest. The palate flows positively along a delicate tannin line with some underlying alcohol drive and fresh acid energy. The flavours recede on the finish leaving nuances of game and undergrowth. This is an light, gently sweet Pinot Noir with cool cherry and herbal fruit, and savoury secondary development. Match with antipasto, pasta and risotto over the next 2-3 years. Waipara Valley fruit fermented to 13.5% alc., the wine aged 10 months in 10% new barriques. 15.5+/20 Oct 2015 RRP $14.99