SOHO 2013 Rosé and 2012 Whites and Reds

06-Aug-2013

An important part of Rachel Carter’s SOHO Wine Co. operation is the contract winemaking. Instead of one winemaker, SOHO has three, based near the fruit sources for her wines, and they have an intimate awareness of their local growing seasons and conditions. For the Waiheke Island wines, James Rowan has recently taken over from Pete Turner for the 2013 vintage. James is at West Brook in West Auckland, but has been based on Waiheke Island, and is well-known for making gold medal and trophy winning wines. In Marlborough, the highly regarded Dave Clouston is SOHO’s winemaker, Dave a local man with his own Two Rivers wines. Central Otago veteran Grant Taylor makes the SOHO wines from the deep south. Grant, recognised for his time at Gibbston Valley has his own Valli wines. All have contributed and are adding to SOHO’s success. Here are my reviews of new release wines, made by all the winemakers. It is one of the strongest releases I have seen to date. www.sohowineco.com

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

SOHO ‘White Collection’ Waiheke Island Rosé 2013
Rose from New Zealand - Northland & Auckland
Review Date : 05-Aug-2013
☆☆☆☆☆
Light, purple-hued pink colour, pale on edge. The nose is light with aromas of redcurrants, florals, fresh herbs and a hint of confectionary. Dry to taste and light-medium bodied, elevated and racy acidity is the feature on palate, enlivening the fruit flavours of strawberries and redcurrants with lifted floral notes unfolding. There is a degree of lusciousness and richness to the fruit. The mouthfeel is brisk and fresh with a fine textural thread providing linearity and focus, leading to a long, mouthwatering, dry, slightly grainy finish with strawberry and red floral notes. This is dry, racy rosé with a thirst-quencing lusciousness. Serve on the veranda on a sunny day anytime in the next 2 years. 98% Merlot and 2% Malbec from SOHO’s ‘Onetangi’ vineyard, fermented to 12.6% alc. and 6.6 g/L RS. 16.5+/20 Aug 2013 RRP $23.00
SOHO ‘Westwood’ Waiheke Island Rosé 2013
Rose from New Zealand - Northland & Auckland
Review Date : 05-Aug-2013
☆☆☆☆☆
Hand-picked fruit, 97% Merlot and 3% Malbec from the SOHO’s ‘’Onetangi’ vineyard, fermented to 13.0% alc. and 5 g/L RS. Moderately deep purple-hued pale-pink colour. This has a deep nose with bright aromas of raspberries and redcurrants entwined with chalky mineral and herb notes. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, a soft, dense, rich core of redcurrants, raspberries and red florals is enlivened by fresh, lacy acidity. The mouthfeel is rounded and soft in texture, but there is plenty of liveliness and vitality, with delicate herb and mineral elements adding interest. The palate has concentration and the fruit extract is carried to a gentle, but mouthwatering finish. This is a rounded rosé with plenty of fruit weight but is refreshing and lively. Match with dim sum, charcuterie and tapas over the next 2+ years. 17.5-/20 Aug 2013 RRP $26.00
SOHO ‘Carter’ Waiheke Island Chardonnay 2012
Chardonnay from New Zealand - Northland & Auckland
Review Date : 05-Aug-2013
☆☆☆☆☆
Brilliant, even, light golden-yellow colour. The bouquet is densely packed with a complex amalgam of savoury yellow stonefruits, and citrus fruits, intermingling with mealy, butter and nutty elements, and oak spices that open out with real breadth. Full-bodied, this is rich and concentrated with complex, savoury fruit flavours of citrus and stonefruits. This has mealy notes along with nuts and toast providing considerable interest. The mouthfeel combines power and alcohol generosity cutting the creamy barrel-ferment textures and carrying the flavours to a very long finish with savoury citrus elements. This is a fulsome and powerful Chardonnay with layers of savoury fruit and creamy textures. Serve with roasted pork over the next 4-5 years. Hand-picked clone 15 and 95 Chardonnay from SOHO’s ‘Onetangi’ vineyard, barrel-fermented to 13.8% alc., the wine aged 10 months in 30% new French oak barriques, undergoing batonnage and MLF. 18.5/20 Aug 2013 RRP $38.00
SOHO ‘Valentina’ Waiheke Island Syrah 2012
Syrah from New Zealand - Northland & Auckland
Review Date : 05-Aug-2013
☆☆☆☆☆
Full, dark, deep, black-hued ruby-red colour with light purple on rim. The bouquet is very fine, tightly bound and elegant, showing aromas of black fruits and black florals, revealing black pepper, spicy herbs, earthy liquorice, and oak char and cedar. Medium-bodied and elegantly proportioned, fine and intense flavours of black berry and plum fruits, spices and pepper are intermixed with florals, spices and pepper. Detailed and complex nuances of reductive char and oak toast emerge in the glass. The extraction is refined and discreet acidity enhances the fruit sweetness. This is very fine-featured and the mouthfeel is smooth flowing. The palate has a good line, leading to a very long, lingering finish with florals and spices. This is an elegant and refined Syrah with spicy, and black and floral fruit flavours. Match with Middle Eastern lamb dishes over the next 5-6 years. Hand-picked Syrah from SOHO’s ‘Onetangi’ vineyard fermented to 13.5% alc., the wine aged 12 months in French oak. 18.5/20 Aug 2013 RRP $45.00
SOHO ‘White Collection’ Marlborough Pinot Noir 2012
Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Marlborough
Review Date : 05-Aug-2013
☆☆☆☆☆
Even ruby-red colour, moderately deep. This has a gentle and harmonious bouquet with aromas of fragrant, dark red berry fruits intermingling with dark herb, fennel and pepper. Medium-bodied, this is tight and slender on palate with bright and lush fruit flavours of dark red berries, florals and dark herbs forming a good concentrated core. Oaking is sensitively balanced and unobtrusive. Fresh and racy acidity underlines the fruit, adding sweetness to the fruit expression, and light tannin extraction is in support, guiding the palate to a lingering, lively-fruited finish. This is a fresh and racy Pinot Noir with lush and bright fruit. Match with fir-flesh seafood, pasta and poultry dishes over the next 3-4+ years. Fruit from the Awatere and Brancott Valleys fermented to 13.5% alc., the wine aged 11 months in new and seasoned French oak. 17.5/20 Aug 2013 RRP $27.00
SOHO ‘McQueen’ Central Otago Pinot Noir 2012
Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Otago
Review Date : 05-Aug-2013
☆☆☆☆☆
55% Bendigo and 45% Gibbston fruit, hand-picked and fermented to 14.0% alc., the wine aged 12 months in 35% new French oak. Very dark, deep, black-hued ruby-red colour with light, youthful, purple hues on edge. The nose is tightly concentrated and elegantly presented with fragrant black cherry fruit and dark florals, along with sweet liquorice and subtle oak notes. Medium-bodied, tightly bound fruit flavours of black cherries and dark red berryfruit form a refined and elegant core. Floral and fragrant dark herb nuances add detail to the palate. Fine-grained tannin extraction and a silky mouthfeel frame the fruit, and lacy acidity provides tension and focus. The palate is one of freshness, finesse and balance, with fine structure and good alcohol drive that carries through to a very long and sustained finish. This is an elegant and refined black cherry-fruited Pinot Noir with fragrance and focus. Serve with poultry and pork, and with fine Asian fare over the next 5-6 years. 18.5-/20 Aug 2013 RRP $45.00

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

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