With the long-awaited new Luna de Miel Chardonnay 2013 and the complex Sarabande Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2014 both now available in the tasting room on the Estate, this is the perfect time to pop in and grab a case or two. The new Minelli Pinot Noir Reserve should be released in mid-March, but for the next few weeks Pinot fans will still be able to stock up on the much-awarded current vintage.
We asked Master of Wine Dave March to taste the 3 new wines for us, and below you can see his beautifully written notes.
Sarabande Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2014
Pale straw with green highlight glints and an exotic nose of citrus, wet granite and ripe tropical fruit. Aromas are weighty but without obvious oak and retaining a clarity and freshness that begs to be served chilled. The palate is smooth and round from lees aging with a finish that surprises with lively and lip-smacking crispness, lingering and clinging and rinsing the mouth for another sip. Acidity and clean fruit flavours keep this wine zesty and assertive. Mango, melon, a slice of lime and yellow stone fruits, dry pebbly minerality and underlying green citrus make this a happy combination. A wine for all seasons, good with classic fish dishes, rich enough for white meats and complex enough to sit and savour, though a couple more years may see an even smoother harmony of fruit and acid.
Drink 2015-2022, 89 / 100
Luna de Miel Chardonnay 2013
The pale golden hue doesn’t suggest the intensity of aromatics wafting from the wine. An enticing sniff of liquid Werther’s Originals with vanilla sticks and beside it a bowl of peaches and cream. Aromas are ripe and lush but the palate is not flabby. Full-bodied, yes, but with a backbone of citrus and minerality all wrapped with tropical fruit notes. This is a fruit driven wine, with clever use of oak giving depth and Malo butteriness lingering. Well balanced and at its best young and vibrant, this wine will match fairly rich foods and cream sauces and will still be lovely in five or so years time.
Drink 2013-2022, 90 / 100
Minelli Pinot Noir 2011
Cherry-red hue with a savoury dark nose, dry oak notes lift from the wine. Aromas are of hedgerow red berries and spice with dusty vanilla oak. The palate is deep and firmly dry, with red berries and a certain rustic bite. Tannins from the oak surround a summer pudding and spice wine, needing a further year or two to settle. This is a New World style wine, fruity, richer palate and sappy oak, quite a mouthful. The fruit is juicy and with a certain refinement, but mainly this is a robust and assertive Pinot with a firm grip and its own rustic charm.
Drink 2013-2022, 88 / 100
