March 2008 New Zealand

Once again we were back at Vino Vixen's for our March Event. Our host was Doc Wilson and this month we sampled some stellar wines from New Zealand. Doc brought as a guest Ray Walsh who is a Kiwi and who is also the owner/winemaker for Capitello Wines.
In 1993 Ray was recruited as Cellar Master by King Estate, one of Oregon's largest producers, at the start of their operation. With all the new technology, techniques and toys at his disposal, Ray was right where he needed to be to become a master of his craft.
Then, in 1999, Ray was named Winemaker for King Estate! His career went straight up. But while successful professionally, his son Desmond wasn't getting as much Dad-time as Ray wanted. Ray found a rare opportunity to combine his loves into an ensemble of good vibes and great wine.
Since 2003, Ray and Desmond are partners in the latest family adventure, Capitello Wines. Between French emersion classes for Desmond and summers in New Zealand surfing, bungee-jumping, sky and scuba diving, they have found time to create some of the best Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Dolcino in the state of Oregon. They have crafted a family legacy already two generations strong with a reputation for improvisational skill, call, honesty and integrity.








We started the event with two crisp New Zealand Chardonnay's. One of the wines was a 2004 Sacred Hill, Whitecliff from the East Coast Appellation. The wine showed some earthy complexity on the nose and this was very crisp, with green apple and maybe a touch of lime fruit. I am guessing this wine was

The other was a Monkey Bay that was a little less crisp
fermented in stainless and did not undergo malolactic fermentation.
The other was a Monkey Bay that was a little less crisp









Photo: Doc Wilson & Ray Walsh


















We poured 4 Sauvignon Blanc wines for the first flight. Two of the wines were 2006 vintage and even that short amount of time in the bottle added some richness.
Sauvignon Blanc wines will typically have a grassy, herbaceous nose, bright citrus (lime, lemon, grapefruit) fruit and they are very food friendly because of their acid levels. These wines aren't typically aged, but an older Sauvignon Blanc will tend to develop an asparagus nose...replacing that grassy nose that we identify this wine by.

The first group of wines included:

1. 2006 Huia: Herbacious nose, hint of bell pepper, spice, cayenne. Bright, tart citrus fruit. A well balanced wine.
2. 2006 Capitello: Rich nose, tart lime with a hint of grapefruit. This wine has nice balance and a great body. The mouthfeel has very rich & opulent texture due to a portion of the wine seeing aging in neutral French barrels. This was my favorite.
3. 2007 Kim Crawford: Grassy nose, bright, zesty, citrus fruit with good balance and body.
This winery is a renowned producer and it doesn't appear to be sitting on its laurels.
4. Cloudy Bay: Herby nose, tart citrus fruit with a lighter body and a zesty finish.

The second flight consisted of 5 New Zealand Pinot Noir wines. The line-up included:

1. 2004 Martinborogh: Rich, earthy, minerally nose, ripe fruit with touches of blueberry and plum. Good body and finish. I guessed this was an Oregon "ringer"-I was wrong!

2. 2004 Tekairanga: Mineral nose with a whiff of pepper. Very bright red fruit on the palate. This would be a good food wine.

3. Craggy Range: Earthy nose, bright, tart pomegranate, cranberry fruit.

4. 2004 Peregrine: Funky earthy nose, big purple fruits with a touch of pepper.

5. 2005 Villa Maria: Garnet colored, ripe strawberry fruit that was big, yet balanced and elegant.

Thanks again to Doc Wilson, our special guest Ray Walsh and our host venue Vino Vixens for helping to put together such a wonderful event.
Next month we are at the Home of Roger & Chris Wooley for White Burgundies. Roger always puts together a great event so mark your calendar for April 20th. More to come later!

Salut-

Norm Schoen -Chancelier