Nautilus – Wines of Perfect Proportion

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Nautilus Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010
  Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 13-Feb-2011

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  The Marlborough region reported a top vintage in 2010 for Sauvignon Blanc. The Nautilus wine justifies the claim. Very pale straw colour with youthful green hues, this has a refined but intense nose of passionfruit and English gooseberries. The distinctive pungency is wonderfully cut to show aromatic purity and beauty. Dry to taste, the palate is very elegant and fine-featured. The tropical fruit flavours and red capsicum, gooseberry and currant elements are all bound in a tight amalgam, and the silky acidity adds a sleekness to the mouthfeel. The finish is long, dry and nuanced. A benchmark Sauvignon Blanc of finesse to enjoy with all seafood over the next 2 years. Made from fruit from the Lanark Lane, Opawa, Kaituna and Awatere vineyards, fermented to 13.5% alc. and 2.5 g/L rs. 18.5+/20 Dec 2010 RRP $25.00
• Nautilus Estate Marlborough Pinot Gris 2010
  Pinot Gris from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 13-Feb-2011

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  With an even, light straw-yellow colour, this is a classical and popular interpretation of Pinot Gris that ticks all the boxes. Soft and full on the nose with ripe pear aromas, subtly complexed with a smoky, spicy note from lees work and 15% fermentation in seasoned oak barrels, this is medium-full bodied at 13.5% alc., and dryish with a near imperceptible 5.9 g/L rs on the palate. The fruit is ripe and rich with honey notes adding to the pear and yellow stonefruit characters. A soft, rounded mouthfeel completes this very approachable wine. A wine to enjoy over the next 2-3 years. Made from fruit mainly from the company's Awatere River vineyard. 17.5+/20 Dec 2010 RRP $29.00
• Nautilus Estate Marlborough Pinot Noir 2009
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 13-Feb-2011

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Pinot Noir is a passion for winemaker Clive Jones and his team, and their work is facilitated by a purpose-built Pinot Noir Cellar completed in 2000, where all the activities for this variety are conducted. The major factor in the leap in quality and style of the Nautilus Pinot Noir no doubt comes from the growing maturity of the company's two vineyards on the clay slopes of the southern Wairau Valley. This fruit is supplemented by grapes from the Awatere Valley and Wairau Valley floor, contributing to flavour breadth. This 2009 wine was made from clones 114, 115, 5, 667 and 777, 100% destemmed, given a cold soak and fermented to 14.0% alc. The wine was then aged in French oak for nearly a year. Deep ruby red in colour, this has youthful purple hues. On nose, the wine has deep, bright raspberry, black cherry and dark plum aromas with oak spiciness adding interest. The palate is fresh, lively and racy with its dark berry fruit flavours enhanced by good acidity. Soft, supple tannins support the palate, providing balanced structure. Though already very attractive, the wine is still tight, having depth and concentration, and promising to develop and reveal more over the next 4-5 years. Serve with Asian duck and Middle Eastern dishes. 18.5-/20 Dec 2010 RRP $39.00