The Forrest Doctors at the Heart of Marlborough

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Forrest Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011
  Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 21-Dec-2011

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Very pale straw colour with green hues, pale on rim, this has a fine, tight and elegantly presented nose of gooseberries, nettles and garden herbs, along with nuances of steel and minerals. Dry on palate, this has clear-cut and pure fruit flavours of gooseberries, still very tightly bound and supported by refined and cutting acidity. Youthful and yet to unfold, this has excellent drive and proportion. This is a classical Loire style with restraint, finesse and linearity that will become richer over the next 3-4 years. Match with seafood, especially shellfish, and creamy poultry dishes. Fruit from four sites around the Renwick township in the Wairau Valley fermented to 12.5% alc. and 3 g/L rs. 17.5+/20 Dec 2011 RRP $22.00
• Forrest Marlborough Riesling 2010
  Riesling from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 21-Dec-2011

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Fruit from two young stone, gravel and silt soiled sites in the Wairau River Valley, and one site on clay-influenced soils in the Brancott Valley. Fermented to 12.0% alc. and 14.3 g/L rs. Bright, very pale straw-yellow colour, very pale on rim. The bouquet is tightly bound with fine aromatics of limes and mandarins, along with hints of herbs and subtle toasty nuances as well as some flinty reduction. Off-dry to taste, the fruit is still to unfold, revealing delicate flavours of citrus fruits and white stonefruits and florals, the palate underlined by firm acidity and a thread of phenolic texture that results in a little austerity. There is good line and the wine finishes with lime and mineral notes. Still youthfully tight, firm and dry, this should develop greater interest over the next 4-5 years. Serve as an aperitif and with shellfish. 17.0+/20 Dec 2011 RRP $22.00
• Forrest Marlborough Chenin Blanc 2010
  Chenin Blanc from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 07-Feb-2013

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  The fifth Chenin Blanc release from Forrest. Fermented with 20% in barrel to 11.4% alc. and 13 g/L rs. Brilliant straw-yellow colour with pale lemon-green hues, this has a fresh and intense bouquet of white stonefruits with citrus, lanolin and waxy aromatics adding detail and interest. Off-dry to taste, the fruit flavours of stonefruits and citrus fruits are well-concentrated, with a deep core. Lively acidity lends a crisp, tingling raciness, which is counterbalanced by waxy, smooth textures. The mouthfeel is lively and poised with underlying richness of fruit and sweetness, the flavours showing very good length. This is a poised, racy and slippery, off-dry Chenin Blanc with a subtle waxy richness. Serve with tapas and Mediterranean-inspired seafood and poultry dishes over the next 4-5+ years. 18.0+/20 Feb 2013 RRP $28.00 The fifth Chenin Blanc from Forrest since 2001. Fruit from the ‘Home' vineyard in Renwick, 20% barrel-fermented to 11.4% alc. and 13 g/L rs. Brilliant pale straw-yellow colour, the nose has fresh, elegant and penetrating aromas of white stonefruits, florals, minerals and lanolin, subtly expressed, but with intensity. Off-dry to taste, this has rich, concentrated, but understated flavours of white peaches, florals, apples and lanolin underlined by racy, bracing acidity which enlivens the fruit, The palate is zesty, but carries a seamlessness and hint of creaminess to the textures, forming good density and line, carrying through to a long and sustained finish showing lush honeysuckle notes. This racy and stylish Chenin Blanc will develop more honied toast characters over the next 5-6 years. Serve with Asian seafood and poultry dishes. 18.0+/20 Dec 2011 RRP $25.00
• Forrest Marlborough Chardonnay 2008
  Chardonnay from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 21-Dec-2011

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Clone 15, 95 and Mendoza fruit, 50% fermented with high solids and aged 10 months in new and seasoned barriques with MLF and lees contact, the remainder cool-fermented in stainless-steel, with lees-stirring during aging. The wine carries 14.3% alc. Bright straw-yellow colour with green-gold hues, pale on rim, the bouquet is fine and penetrating with aromas of citrus fruits, mealy, mineral elements, smoky oak and toasty, nutty complexities. Medium-bodied and fine-featured, this is a wine with delicacy and subtleties, yet excellent concentration. Citrus fruit flavours, spicy oak, toast, nuts and flinty lees work are interwoven and supported by crisp, refreshing acidity. A little alcohol warmth shows on the long, dry, spicy, nutty finish. This is an elegant, lively and fairly complex Chardonnay to match with grilled seafood and poultry over the next 3-4+ years. 1,500 cases made. 18.0+/20 Dec 2011 RRP $23.50
• Forrest Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 21-Dec-2011

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Moderately deep, purple-hued ruby-red colour, youthful in appearance, this has a fresh and primary bouquet of bright dark cherry fruit with violet florals, nuances of herbs with balanced oak spice. Medium-bodied and elegantly proportioned, fresh, succulent dark cherry fruit, raspberries and dark floral flavours feature, with tightness and concentration. Notes of fresh herbs and oak spices emerge and the palate us supported by moderate extraction and discreet acidity. The wine has a sweet, fruit-driven finish with good length. This is an elegant, fruit expressive Pinot Noir with perfumes, suppleness and fine structure. Match with pastas, risotto, duck and pork over the next 4-5+ years. Fruit from Wairau River Valley with stony soils, the Southern Valleys clay soils, and Northbank with a stone and clay mix. Fermented to 14.0% alc., the wine aged 10 months in 20% new French barriques. 18.0-/20 Dec 2011 RRP $27.50