the best new zealand red wine
Best 18 NZ wines of 2015 It’s a simple matter for me to retrieve all of the wines tasted last year from my database and then to sort by score. A total of 18 wines achieved a score of 98 points or more. I’ve sorted them by price (least expensive first) within each score category. Here is the result: 100 Neudorf 2014 Chardonnay Moutere, Nelson $64.00 (tasting) 99 Dry River 2013 Pinot Noir, Martinborough $80.00 (tasting) 98 Dry River 2014 Gewurztraminer Lovat Vineyard, Martinborough $45.00 (tasting) 98 Craggy Range 2013 Syrah Le Sol, Hawke’s Bay $105.00 (tasting) 98 Millton 2013 Viognier Clos de Ste Anne “Les Arbres”, Gisborne $60.00 (tasting) 98 Devotus 2014 Pinot Noir Reserve, Martinborough $62.00 (tasting) 98 Stonecroft 2013 Syrah Reserve, Hawke’s Bay $65.00 (tasting) 98 Framingham 2015 Riesling F-Series Trockenbeerenauslese, Marlborough $70.00 (tasting) 98 Craggy Range 2013 Sophia, Hawke’s Bay $72.95 (tasting) 98 Millton 2013 Chenin Blanc Clos de Ste Anne La Bas, Gisborne $75.00 (tasting)
98 Villa Maria 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Ngakirikiri, Hawke’s Bay $130.00 (tasting) 98 Destiny Bay 2010 Mystae, Waiheke Island $170.00 (tasting) The clear winner is Neudorf 2014 Moutere Chardonnay, the only wine to earn a maximum 100 points. Top region is Hawke’s Bay (five wines) assisted by the “best ever” 2013 vintage. Martinborough was close behind with four wines. Top grape variety/wine style is Pinot Noir (6) then red blends (4)Homage is Trinity Hill’s Flagship wine. A wonderfully round rich Syrah inspired by the famed Cote Rotie of the Northern Rhone, it has consistently gained more “Parker points” than any other New Zealand Syrah, achieving 92 to 95 in its seven vintages. First produced in 2002, it has been voted “Best Red Wine in New Zealand” by Cuisine Magazine and taken home the coveted Air New Zealand Awards Double – Best Red Wine and Champion Wine of Show. Homage pays tribute to one of the Rhone Valley’s most iconic figures, the late Gerard Jaboulet.
A long-time friend of Robert and Robyn Wilson – his wine dinners at the Bleeding Heart were legendary. Gerard took John Hancock under his wing in 1996 and allowed him to work beside him at the Jaboulet family wine cellars in Tain L’Hermitage throughout that harvest. Gerard later told the Wilsons that John was the most committed winemaker he had had the pleasure of working with. He said, with some surprise, that John would stay behind at lunchtime to hose down the cellar. In those days in the Rhone, lunch was much more important than cellar hygiene. As a mark of gratitude, Gerard gave Trinity Hill cuttings of Syrah from his famed La Chapelle vineyard, in Hermitage, and Viognier from Les Jumelles in Cote Rotie, and from these our Homage was born. Like the Cote Rotie of its inspiration, our Homage Syrah is traditionally blended with a small amount of Viognier. Homage is only produced in the very best years, following the warmest growing seasons, and in very limited quantities.
It is listed in many of the world’s top restaurants and is New Zealand’s most lauded Syrah. It is presently available in New Zealand Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, the United States, Thailand and the United Kingdom. You can purchase Homage by clicking HERE champion wineClearview ReserveChardonnay 2015Full-bodied, rich and spicy with a peachy sweetness, a mealy savouriness, polished cedary oak and a rich, expansive, creamy finish with delectable hints of butterscotch and crème brulee.LEGEND OF NEW ZEALAND WINERichard RiddifordRecipient of theSir George Fistonich MedalWINE MAKER OF THE SHOWNick PiconeVilla Maria EstateCHAMPION WINE COMPANY OF THE YEARWON:6 Trophies30 Gold Medals26 Silver Medals53 Bronze MedalsTrophy for ChampionPinot GrisWaipara Hills Waipara Valley Pinot Gris 2016Mouthfilling, smooth and creamy with ripe baked apple and vanilla poached pear flavours, a lovely zing of mandarin and accents of ginger and strudel spices.Trophy for ChampionGewurztraminerGiesen The Brothers Gewurztraminer 2014Intensely perfumed and deliciously flavoursome with Turkish Delight, lychees, tingly toasted aromatic spices, violets, orange oil, a lightly honeyed texture and lingering musky sweetness.
Trophy for ChampionSauvignon BlancStoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016Ravishingly juicy and fresh with mouthwatering flavours of gooseberry, grapefruit, summer herbs and passionfruit, with a flinty shimmer and a crisp, long, tangy finish.Trophy for ChampionNew Zealand Sparkling WineHunter's MiruMiru Reserve 2011A pinot noir / chardonnay cuvee from Marlborough, it’s complex, mealy and savoury with loads of bubbles, youthful acid vibes and hints of rosehips and flower spice.Trophy for ChampionViognierGoldie Estate Reserve Viognier 2015Heady and beguiling with floral aromas and mouth-coating flavours of apricot and peach with accents of mandarin, lovely bright spices and a creamy, savoury, mealy backbone. Texturally satisfying, seamless and long.Trophy for ChampionRieslingForrest The Doctor's Riesling 2016Gorgeously aromatic, light, refreshing 9% alcohol style with tropical fruit sherbet, apple, orange zest and honeysuckle and a delectable, long-lasting, deliciously fruity finish.
Trophy for ChampionOther White Wine VarietiesTahbilk Rousanne Marsanne Viognier 2013This classical Rhone blend from Victoria, Australia, is aromatic, nutty, peachy and citrussy with a soft mealy richness, touches of spice and beautifully balanced refreshing acidity.Trophy for ChampionRoseEsk Valley Hawkes Bay Rose 2016Fresh, bright and juicy with scrummy red cherry and early season plum flavours, a beautifully honed underlying savouriness, a spicy vibrancy and satisfying textural complexity.Trophy for ChampionChardonnayClearview Reserve Chardonnay 2015Full-bodied, rich and spicy with a peachy sweetness, a mealy savouriness, polished cedary oak and a rich, expansive, creamy finish with delectable hints of butterscotch and crème brulee.Trophy for ChampionChampagne & Methode TraditionelleAyala Brut Majeur Champagne NVTantalising aromas of freshly baked crusty lemon friands and beautifully refined rich, complex, spicy, zesty, toasty flavours with hints of Marmite and slivers of bubbly deliciousness.
Trophy for ChampionCommercial White WineDelegat Crownthorpe Terraces Chardonnay 2015Smooth, nutty, creamy and seamless in its flow with a spicy undercurrent to the delicious stonefruit and biscuit flavours with zesty acidity extending the finish.Trophy for ChampionSweet WineWhitehaven Marlborough Noble Riesling 2014Full of perfumed honey, pollen and flower nectar aromas and sticky sweet dark honey, beeswax and botrytised grape flavours with a fabulously long candied tropical fruit and zesty pineapple finish.Trophy for ChampionInternational Red Wine VarietiesObsidian Waiheke Island Montepulciano 2015Wonderfully fruit expressive and inviting, the bouquet shows dark cherries and plums with hints of mixed spice and nutty complexity. It is beautifully rounded and silky, and delivers loads of delectable flavours.Trophy for ChampionCommercial Red WineBodegas Borsao Monte Oton 2015A beautifully styled Garnacha, the fragrant bouquet shows raspberry coulis, dark cherry, floral and vanilla characters, leading to a juicy and bright palate that is silky and flowing.
Trophy for ChampionCabernet Sauvignon & Predominant BlendsKirrihill Wines Vineyard Selection Tullymore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013This beautifully composed Cabernet combines fabulous fruit purity with seductive complexity, showing cassis, cigar, game and cedar characters, stylishly enhanced by rich texture and supple mouthfeel.Trophy for ChampionMerlot Predominant & BlendsVilla Maria Single Vineyard Braided Gravels Organic Merlot 2013Full flavoured and luxuriously textured, this glorious Merlot offers blackcurrants, dark plums, cedar and game with a light touch of spice. Wonderfully composed and expressed.Trophy for ChampionNew Zealand SyrahVilla Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Syrah 2014Deeply coloured and immensely appealing, the wine offers stunning fruit purity together with stylish oak infusion, showing black/blueberries, cedar, spice and violet with a touch of black pepper.Trophy for ChampionFortified WineWilliams & Humbert Alegria ManzanillaA brilliant dry Sherry with scintillating clarity, displaying lemon peel and almond characters with saline and iodine undertones.