Nautilus Goes Wild with Aromatics

02-Oct-2012

Established in 1985, Nautilus Estate has a sense of conservatism, getting everything right and building on solid foundations. The approach has served them well, as they have never put a foot wrong, and every wine they have released has been nothing short of classical. In reality, there is plenty of radical and avant garde work going on behind the doors of the winery and in the vineyards as winemakers Clive Jones and Brett Bermingham and viticulturist Mike Collins are constantly improving the wines. Not many people are privy to the goings-on, but visits last year and recently this year revealed adventurous work with the aromatic white wines under both the Nautilus and Opawa brands, and a step up with the limited release ‘Four Barriques' Pinot Noir, a result of the progress in their Pinot Noir programme. The latest releases reviewed here seem to show Nautilus going a bit wild. www.opawawine.com www.nautilusestate.com

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

Opawa Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand - Marlborough
Review Date : 02-Oct-2012
☆☆☆☆☆
Fruit predominantly from the ‘Opawa' vineyard on Rapaura gravel soils, cool-fermented with a small portion in large oak cuves to 13.0% alc. and 2.6 g/L rs, the wine aged on lees. Brilliant straw-yellow colour with slight green hues, pale on rim. This has a fresh, youthfully concentrated and tightly packed bouquet of English gooseberries and nettles opening to reveal ripe passionfruit notes. Dry to taste, the palate has intensely packed fruit flavours of passionfruit, limes and gooseberries with powerful linear drive. The palate is very fine in mouthfeel, with slippery acidity providing a lusciousness to the fruit and carrying the flavours to a very long and sustained finish. This is a concentrated and driven classical Sauvignon Blanc to serve with Asian cuisine over the next 2-3 years. 18.0+/20 Oct 2012 RRP 22.00
Opawa Marlborough Pinot Gris 2012
Pinot Gris from New Zealand - Marlborough
Review Date : 02-Oct-2012
☆☆☆☆☆
Bright straw-yellow colour with lemon-gold hues. The nose is tight and reserved, showing white floral, stonefruit and pear fruit aromas with a soapy, musky nuance and hints of flinty lees work. Dry to taste, light pear and stonefruit flavours form delicate core with honey notes, forming a good palate line, balanced with restrained acidity. This is rounded in mouthfeel and the wine flows with soft textures. The flavours are carried to a light finish with pear nuances. This is a light and subtle Pinot Gris with a soft mouthfeel. Serve as an aperitif and with Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine. Fruit from the Wairau and Awatere valleys, cool-fermented in tank to 13.0% alc. and 3.5 g/L rs, the wine aged on lees. 16.5-/20 Oct 2012 RRP $22.00
Nautilus Marlborough Pinot Gris 2011
Pinot Gris from New Zealand - Marlborough
Review Date : 02-Oct-2012
☆☆☆☆☆
100% Pinot Gris, mainly from the company's ‘Awatere River' vineyard, hand-picked and stainless-steel fermented to 13.5% alc. and 4.8 g/L rs, the wine aged on lees 3 months. Brilliant, pale straw-yellow colour, nearly colourless on the rim. The nose is very tight, intense and penetrating with aromas of white florals and stonefruits, minerals and complex reductive flinty notes. Dry to taste and elegantly proportioned, a tightly bound amalgam of white stonefruits and pears with complex flintiness form a concentrated line which is driven by fine acidity and power from the alcohol. The palate unfolds detailed nuances of fruits and minerals. A fine textural thread leads to a long, sustained, crisply dry and slender finish. This is an elegantly powerful and concentrated Pinot Gris featuring complex fruit and minerally flavours. Match with Mediterranean fare over the next 3-4+ years. 18.0-/20 Oct 2012 RRP $29.00
Nautilus Marlborough Gruner Veltliner 2011
Gruner Veltliner from New Zealand - Marlborough
Review Date : 02-Oct-2012
☆☆☆☆☆
First crop of two different clones planted in the company's ‘Renwick' vineyard, hand-picked fermented in seasoned barriques to 13.0% alc. and 2.8 g/L rs, the wine aged in barrel for 6 months with some batonnage and no MLF. Brilliant straw-yellow colour, pale on rim. The nose is elegant and finely presented with penetrating steely aromas of white stonefruits, subtle white pepper elements, herbs, nutty notes and minerals. Dry to taste, tightly bound flavours of fennel, herbs, minerals and earth are framed within a crisp, tightly textured palate. Some nutty elements show with a little sweet and sour character to the white pepper. The wine is dry in mouthfeel, with the acidity in the background, and the wine has a slight austerity on the finish. This is a dry and tight, lightly textured Gruner Veltliner. Match with antipasto and seafood over the next 3+ years. 16.5/20 Oct 2012 RRP $29.00
Nautilus Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2011
Gewurztraminer from New Zealand - Marlborough
Review Date : 02-Oct-2012
☆☆☆☆☆
Brilliant, very pale straw-yellow colour with slight green hues, near colourless on edge. This has a beautifully fine, elegant and lifted bouquet of rose petals and exotic florals along with delicate herb and mineral notes. Off-dry to taste, this combines very soft and fine textures with a detailed perfumed, subtly spicy, floral fruitiness and a gentle lusciousness. The wine has an excellent line and core of flavour, supported by very fine textures and discreet acidity. A little heat emerges on the back palate and is noticeable on the finish, providing some power and length. This is an elegant Gewurztraminer with delicate and detailed floral flavours and subtle lusciousness and power. Serve with mildly spicy Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine over the next 3-4+ years. Fruit from the company's ‘Renwick' vineyard, hand-picked and cool-fermented in stainless-steel to 13.0% alc. and 7.5 g/L rs, the wine aged on lees for a short period. 18.0/20 Oct 2012 RRP $29.00

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

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