Rockface 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

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

  Review Date : 25-Jul-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, very pale straw-yellow colour with slight green hues, near colourless on the rim. The nose is fresh and firm, quite slender in presentation with aromas of gooseberries, green stonefruits, herbs, nuances of green capsicums and chalky mineral and lees notes. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the flavours of gooseberries, herbs and minerals are tightly bound and reserved in expression. The mouthfeel is soft in texture with a good, positive guiding core with a fine-textured line and underlying fresh acidity lending balance and liveliness. The wine leads to a soft, lingering finish of gooseberries, herbs and minerals. This is a tightly bound and reserved Sauvignon Blanc with flavours of gooseberries, herbs and minerals and a positive linear core. Match with seafood, salads and vegetables over the next 2 years. Estate fruit from Waipara, fermented in stainless-steel to 13.5% alc., the wine aged 4 months on lees. 16.5/20 Jul 2016 RRP $18.00
• Rockface Waipara Valley Pinot Gris 2015
  Pinot Gris from New Zealand - Canterbury & Waipara

  Review Date : 25-Jul-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Full, light golden-hued straw-yellow colour, lighter on the edge. This has a firm and tightly concentrated nose with complex aromas of white and yellow stonefruits entwined with honeysuckle and herbal elements, along with nutty, mealy and flinty notes. Medium-dryish to taste and medium-bodied, the palate features a succulent core of yellow stonefruits and honeysuckle, along with mealy and nutty layers. The mouthfeel is soft, lush and rounded, with the residual sugar providing a sense of unctuousness and richness. As the wine flows, lifted floral and youthful esters emerge and the wine carries to a long, soft finish of stonefruits, honey and nuts. This is a complex flavoured, medium-dry Pinot Gris with rich stonefruit, honeysuckle and nutty flavours, carried by the sweetness. Match with Middle Eastern fare over the next 3 years. Waipara fruit fermented in stainless-steel with a portion in barrel to 13.5% alc. and 15 g/L RS. 17.0/20 Jul 2016 RRP $18.00
• Rockface South Island Pinot Noir 2015
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - South Island

  Review Date : 25-Jul-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Light, even ruby-red colour with some garnet hues, pale on the rim. The nose is initially light and fresh with aromas of red cherries and herbs, but builds to show penetrating aromas of dark plum, liquorice and dark red florals, long with some smoky oak. Medium-bodied, lively and bright fruit flavours of dark red cherries, dark herbs and plums show with red florals, liquorice and oak detail. The palate has a rounded and concentrated core, and the fruit sweetness enlivened by fresh, lacy acidity and balanced by fine-gained tannins. The wine flows with good energy to a bright fruited finish and fine dry textures. This is a moderately concentrated Pinot Noir with flavours of dark cherries, herbs and oak, and a fresh mouthfeel. Fruit, 80% from Waipara Valley and 20% Central Otago, full destemmed and fermented to 13.5% alc., the wine given limited oak contact. 16.5/20 Jul 2016 RRP $18.00