A very pure nose of pear/perry, and an acidic roundness on the palate (the cliched cats pee on a gooseberry bush is reflected in the acidity, but whilst I'm sure it is acidic, I'm not sure there is more than a hint of gooseberry.....) The key thing to understand is that whilst this is a quality wine, it is also a tart wine and the finish is somewhat reminiscent of sucking on a lime. But for me it is all part of the style and this is not faulty...)
Aromatically, this wine is reminiscent of what I loved about Cloudy Bay at its best in the late 90s - just awesome pure pear fuit. But in the final analysis it is not quite in the same league. Palate-wise, whilst this wine has a good reputation, I'm going to say that there is just a little too much searing battery acid for me. I expect acidity in most NZ SB but I don't expect it to be out of balance in this way if this is supposed to be included in a list of all-time greats.... so not sure I can qualify this as a true NZ Sauvignon Blanc contender, despite what the multitudes may claim for it...
In short, I want this flavour profile with the acidity much more firmly in check. Oenologists...can you help??
I hate to rush out the Cloudy Bay comparisons, and most people write Cloudy Bay off these days. But the thing about Cloudy Bay at its very very best, in contrast to typical NZ SB is that it has no hard edges at all. It is just the roundest gobful of pear fruit ever made. Villa Maria is nice, but it ain't pulling that stunt at all.....
Edit as of late August 2009 this has rounded very nicely. It ain't no great Cloudy Bay, but at the same time is a lovely round example of New Zealand SVB.
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