Selaks ‘Founders’ Limited Edition Wine Release

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Selaks ‘Founders’ ‘Limited Edition’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014
  Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 09-Dec-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, light straw-yellow colour with pale green hues on rim. The nose is full and open with stylish aromas of green stonefruits and gooseberries along with hints of exotic tropical fruit and lantana, that build in depth and detail with aeration. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, tightly bound flavours of gooseberries and nettles unfold passionfruit and lantana interest. The palate features a firm, chalky-textured, mouthwatering core balanced by steely, cutting and lively acidity. The freshness and tension of the wine carries through to a finely textured, very long-lingering minerally and nettle-nuanced finish. This is a concentrated, chalky and minerally Sauvignon Blanc with lively fruit flavours. Serve with seafood, salads and vegetables, and Mediterranean fare over the next 2 years. MS clone fruit, 83% Upper Rapaura and 17% Lower Rapaura, cool-fermented to 13.0% alc. and 4 g/L RS. 7,000 bottles made. 18.5/20 Dec 2014 RRP $25.99
• Selaks ‘Founders’ ‘Limited Edition’ Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2014
  Pinot Gris from New Zealand - Hawke's Bay

  Review Date : 09-Dec-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Clone 2/16 with a smaller portion of 2/12, 80% from the ‘Moteo’ vineyard and 20% from the ‘Te Tua’ site (also known as ‘The Split’), given skin contact and fermented to 13.5% alc. and 3 g/L RS, the wine aged on lees. Bright, even, pale straw-yellow colour, lighter on edge. The nose is full and finely concentrated with aromas of exotic white and yellow stonefruits along with subtle spice and honeysuckle detail, yellow florals, and steely, flint and minerally lees notes. Dry to taste and medium-full bodied, the stonefruit flavours are somewhat restrained. There is a strong deep core with underlying alcohol drive and real palate presence, with soft textures and positive phenolics. Complexing mineral and honeysuckle detail unfolds, and the wine flows with good structure and extract carrying to a dry, lingering, nuanced finish. This dry Pinot Gris has restrained stonefruit flavours, but weight and presence with positive textures. Match with poultry and pork over the next 3 years. 6,650 bottles made. 18.5+/20 Dec 2014 RRP $25.99
• Selaks ‘Founders’ ‘Limited Edition’ Hawke’s Bay’ Chardonnay 2013
  Chardonnay from New Zealand - Hawke's Bay

  Review Date : 10-Dec-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Mainly clone 95 from the ‘Moteo’ vineyards, hand-picked and WBP, indigenous yeast fermented in barrel on solids to 13.0% alc., the wine aged 15 months in 21% new French oak barriques, the wine undergoing batonnage with 25% MLF. Brilliant, even, straw-yellow colour with green-gold hues. This has a firmly concentrated, elegantly proportioned and complex nose of white stonefruits melded with citrus fruits and gunflint reduction and layers of nutty, toasty oak and lemon curd MLF. The aromatics are quite complete. Medium-full bodied, the palate is rich and densely packed, unfolding to show harmonious waves of white stonefruits, flint and minerals, nuts and toasty oak. This has weight and good mouthfeel presence, the acidity soft, lending a roundness to the texture. Nuances of smoke and butter emerge adding detail , and the wine flows with underlying power leading to a long, elegant finish. This is a full and complete Chardonnay with complex gunflint and toasty oak flavours and a rich mouthfeel. Match with roasted poultry and pork dishes over the next 5+ years. 6,450 bottles made. 18.5+/20 Dec 2014 RRP $25.99
• Selaks ‘Founders’ ‘Limited Edition’ Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Otago

  Review Date : 10-Dec-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Clones 5, 114, 115 and Abel, 82% Bendigo, 14% Bannockburn and 4% Alexandra, destemmed, given a cold soak and fermented with whole berries to 13.5% alc., the wine on skins 16 days and aged 12 months in 20% new French oak. Dark ruby-red colour with light purple hues, youthful in appearance. The nose is fill, broad and deeply packed with aromas of dark red berry fruits and plums, unfolding layers of savoury earth, dark herbs and complex stalky elements, with oak vanilla and lactic, milky nuances. Full-bodied, ripe, fleshy plum and berry fruit flavours are entwined with cedar and spicy oak and milk chocolate notes. The fruit forms a firm, concentrated core and is encased by grainy extraction and structure. Discreet acidity lends a degree of vitality, and the wine is carried to a long, sweet, plummy finish with oak and spice notes. This is a full, plum and herb-flavoured Pinot Noir with plenty of grainy structure. Match with slow-cooked game meat and casseroles over the next 5-6+ years. 3,100 bottles made. 18.0+/20 Dec 2014 RRP $39.99
• Selaks ‘Founders’ ‘Limited Edition’ Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2013
  Merlot from New Zealand - Hawke's Bay

  Review Date : 09-Dec-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Full, deep ruby-red colour with black hues, lighter on rim, youthful in appearance. The nose is tightly bound and elegantly presented with an amalgam of red berryfruit and plums, along with dark herbs, soft iron-earth notes and subtle smoky oak elements. Medium-full bodied, tightly concentrated and elegantly proportioned flavours of dark plums and redcurrant are intermixed with herbs, leaf, iron-earth and mineral notes. The fruit is underlined by fine-grained tannins and integrated acidity, lending a sinewy mouthfeel and line. The palate flows with good drive, carrying to a dry, fine-textured and grainy finish. This is an elegant and tightly concentrated Merlot with plum and berry fruit entwined with earth and herb nuances. Match with roast lamb, beef and venison, and hard cheeses over the next 7-9 years. MS clone from the Gimblett Gravels, fermented to 14.0% alc., the wine spending 22 days on skins and aged 14 months in French and American oak, of which 25% was new French barrels. 4,950 bottles made. 18.0/20 Dec 2014 RRP $39.99