Well, the dust has settled on the exams (and the aftermath of finding out what the wines were) and gradually we are all returning to our normal lives, before the nerves kick back in again around results time. It’s a strange thing to be sitting here of an evening, not studying and – more importantly – not feeling guilty about not studying!
I can’t think about the exams, it’s all too close and just a tad too raw! But, before they broke my heart and mind, I went to a really good tasting! On the Monday before kick-off I decided that I was never going to learn anything new and thought that distracting myself from my ignorance was a wise plan. And so I took comfort in Pinot Noir and, more specifically, New Zealand Pinot Noir.
There seems to be have a trend of late for wine journalists to pounce on regions and create classifications… I’m not quite sure what’s sparked it, but it feels like we are awash with top 50s, top 100s and regional classifications a-plenty. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, though I do wonder when it will stop. Maybe I should create one for myself! Haha!
Anyway, the tasting on Monday was of Tim Atkin MW’s Top 50 NZ Pinot Noirs, a list that he published on his website back in February. You can find it, and his other reports, here: http://www.timatkin.com/reports . It’s quite a list and it was a very enjoyable tasting, tucked up at the top of New Zealand House – one of the least attractive buildings in London (sorry), but with an AMAZING view.
The wines were great, and it was pretty easy to see why Tim had chosen the range. It certainly ably showcased the high quality of NZ Pinot and the stylistic diversity across the regions – it also showed how great some of the not-classically-Pinot regions can be. Neudorf, from Nelson, is, in particular, rather yummy and there were a few wines from Marlborough that showed that region’s rising class.
It does perhaps seem a little odd to select a list of favourites from someone else’s list of favourites, but hey! Mine are below…
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- I’d heard so much about the Valli wines recently, that I was really looking forward to tasting – although I half expected to be a little underwhelmed. I wasn’t. These are incredible wines. I don’t know why I only took a picture of one of their wines, as their Gibbston and Waitaki wines were really very classy too.
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- Surveyor Thomson is home to the cutest little dog in the world – Dougal. Their wine isn’t bad either! Tasted this a couple of times now and it is a very classy example; sleek and sophisticated, with lovely silky texture.
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- Felton Road needs to no further endorsement from me, but this is quite classic Central Pinot, rich, fruitcakey and beguiling.
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- Love this wine and think I drank rather too much of it at the Air NZ Wine Awards in Wellington in November last year. It is darned good though, with oodles of dark berry fruit and a lovely fresh acidity.
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- Lake Wanaka, home to Rippon Vineyards, is where I would love to live one day – it truly is heaven on earth. The wine is elegant, with a touch of that indefinable minerality, adding backbone to vibrant fruit and spice.
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- This vineyard is owned by Sam Neill, who I may never be able to forgive for chopping off the finger of the girl The Piano. However, this is a great Pinot – crunchy fruit, backed by storecupboard herbs and spice.
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- This is a class act from the Seresin team; lovely concentration and density and a burst of red currant freshness on the finish.
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- Lush, rounded, mouthcoating, lovely. Certainly no shrinking violet, but rather impossible to resist.
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- Totally different from anything else in the room. Pyramid Valley are “natural” wine producers, which usually means I would avoid. But this was a very lovable wine, with notes of parma violet, woodsmoke and a vibrant red berry character.
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Today’s stuck-in-head-song – Let her go, Passenger
Today’s dinner – fabulous barbecue
Today’s drinks – 2011 Domaine de l’Idylle Mondeuse, Tiallier, Savoie
Today’s footwear – fawn peep toe stilettos