Don’t Mess With Texas…

Posted on June 30, 2016 by melsmosaic

…wines. Was at event and in our goody bag we received a bottle of Texas wine. Hmmm…I did not know that Texas was in the wine industry. I just know I love me some Shiner and margaritas!

So, I’ve had this bottle of Texas Riesling (another problem unless it’s dang dry) for awhile and decided to finally give it a try. It’s from Becker Vineyards to be specific. I felt like I was about to take the biggest risk of my life. I paced around the kitchen. Looked at the bottle, then stared. Held my breath a few times. Then finally, put the corkscrew in it. Ahh, the oxygen hit the adult-level grape juice.

Poured a glass. The color…gold. The picture does not do it justice. Think the goldest of gold Chards you’ve seen. The nose, sweet, that’s all I can say. The taste. Um, yeah, um. Boone’s is tasting pretty good. I waited a couple minutes, maybe a white can breathe? No, this and Boone’s are definitely in the same place. At least you get flavor options with Boone’s.

Now, checking out their website, this isn’t even around anymore. They only have ‘dry riesling’, which is sold out?

I know it’s each one to their own, so you can always cast your vote if you happen to have tried this. But I say Don’t mess with Texas wines, as in stay away.

Mudbrick Vineyard, Waiheke Island, NZ

Posted on May 22, 2016 by melsmosaic

The final stop on our Waiheke Island tour was Mudbrick Vineyard. We started the tour with being handed a glass of their Sauvignon Blanc. How nice! (Per the site — Intense aromas of passionfruit, gooseberry and freshly cut grass. The palate is concentrated tropical and citrus notes with juicy acidity and a long polished finish.)

We walked around and learned about the history, the grapes, etc. While checking out these physical grapes, we were handed a glass of their Syrah. The pepper notes were very present. (Displays aromas of plum, blackcurrants, black pepper corns and camphor. The palate has concentrated dark fruits, liquorice and spice with plush round tannins and a long pure finish.)

All this while having an amazing view! Can I have a ride? Apparently these swing by often.

We finished off in the tasting room with a taste of the Merlot/Cabernet Blend. Home run! I knew I still had two cities to visit on my trip but I had to take one with me. Wow, what a taste. (Displays aromas of plums, cassis, dried herbs, pencil shavings and dark chocolate. The palate is refined and elegant with soft powdery tannins and a long classic finish.) Side note, pencil shavings? So many great ‘things’ you can add to wines. Besides the pencil being far out, the fact that it’s a shaving. Do you get the sharpener ready and compare? Love being wine lovers.

New Zealand Wine and Beer Stop, Wild on Waiheke

Posted on May 22, 2016 by melsmosaic

As part of the wine tour we also got to enjoy some brew. We stopped at Wild on Waiheke, which has the Waiheke Island Brewery and also the winery. We primarily had the beer at this one but also had a sip of vino.

For the wine we had a sip of their Sauvignon Blanc. A nice traditional one that you get from NZ.

For the brews we had quite the spread. We enjoyed a taste of all of them while hearing the history of the brewery and all about the brewing process.

-Baroona Original, 4.7% ABV. Based on the German Kolsch style, the use of famous NZ grown Saaz B (Motueka) hops gives this beer its distinctive grapefruit peel aroma. Baroona is brewed from 90% pilsner malt and 10% malted wheat and is top fermented. — nice and cris,p just like it should be.

-Whard Rf. Wheat Beer, 4.5% ABV. Based on the Bavarian Hefe-Weizen style, brewed from a 50/50 blend of Pilsner malted wheat, very lightly hopped with Pacific Hallertau and fermented with authentic Bavarian yeast. Like many classic wheat beers this product is unfiltered and has the authentic clove and banana aromas. — definitely had the banana, not good for me. I like having banana flavor from the fruit or in some tasty bread.

-Matiatia Malt Beer, 7.2% ABV. Based on the new American Imperial Pale Ale style, this beer’s high ABV makes it perfect as an after dinner beer or nightcap. The palate is rich and full with notes of toffee and chocolate, balanced with generous additions of NZ grown chocolate, balanced with generous additions of NZ grown Cascande hops for a lingering resinous finish — heavy, couldn’t take more than a sips. Could taste what they said and definitely wouldn’t want it as a ‘main’ beer.

-Apple Cider, 5.5% — Brewed on site alongside the beers and make from Hawkes Bay Granny Smith apple juice and fermented with their top fermented ale yeast culture. The cider starts fermentation at a high gravity and is then cooled down once it reaches 5.5% ABV. This rapid halt to the fermentation leaves plenty of residual apple flavour and just the right level of sweetness. The aroma and flavour are both full of fresh apple notes and a lingering finish. — pretty good! And the sweetness is not overbearing.

-Hauraki Gulf Ginger Beer — non-alchohol. ‘Nuf said.

Another great place to check out.

Random Wines from AUS and NZ

Posted on May 3, 2016 by melsmosaic

So many great local wines at your fingertips when in Australia and New Zealand. Of course many of them aren’t available in the US. Some of them we sampled included:

Devil’s Corner Pinot Noir, Tasmania — some nice fruit

Scrubby Rise Sauvignon, Semillion, Viognier, Australia (Adelaide) – pretty light

Priory Ridge Pinot Noir, St. Helens, Tasmania – ooo, nice. Some pepper on it

Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough – pretty traditional sauv blanc

Brancroft Estate Brut Cuvee, New Zealand – some nice crisp bubbles

Gibbston Valley Pinot Gris, Otago – much tropical fruit

Millton Viognier, New Zealand – smooth

Pegasus Bay Riesling, Canterbury, New Zealand – very nice dry riesling!

Amisfield Sauvignon Blanc, Otago – lots of flavors going on

Explorer Pinot Noir, Central Otago – drier than expected, earthy

Terra Sancta, Mysterious Diggings Pinot Noir, Bannockburn, Central Otago – nice pinot

Mojo Shiraz, Barossa Valley – berries

South Island Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough – really good for an basic bottle

RedBank, The Long Paddock, Shiraz, Victoria – good happy hour wine

Kuru Kuru Pinot Noir, Central Otago – chocolate, some spice

Stefani Estate Shiraz, Heathcote — delicious!

Corbans Pinot Gris, Gisborne, New Zealand – a bit too Chardonnay-like

Mt. Difficulty Sauvignon Blanc, Bannockburn, New Zealand — grassy

Eichardt’s, Queenstown, NZ

Posted on April 29, 2016 by melsmosaic

The last (dinner) stop in Queenstown was a place called Eichardt’s.

We went to the bar area for wine and tapas. Another great menu! This time the wine choice was a flight of Pinot Noir. It was comprised of Mount Edward ‘Eichardt’s’ 2013 Gibbston, Wild Irishman 2013 Bannockburn and Misha’s Vineyard ‘The High Note’ – 2009 Bendigo.

The first on the tasting was ok. The 2^nd was quite solid with very nice fruit notes. The 3^rd was absolutely amazing. There was the slightest hint of leather, almost like a Pinotage with the traditional fruit. I still had many stops to go on this trip so it wasn’t easy to buy one.

For dinner we grabbed several of their tapas.

Seared Otago nectarine & goat’s cheese salad with local rocket, shaved fennel & candied almonds.

Grilled bruschetta of local wild mushrooms, thyme and feta

Sourdough bread with Cairnmuir olive oil & macadamia nut dakkah

Wild game terrine, sourdough toasts, homemade pickles and relish

All of them just melted in the mouth. Absolutely outstanding. Between them and the wine, great final dinner in Queenstown.

Winery Stop 5, Montalto

Posted on April 25, 2016 by melsmosaic

Final stop of the day, Montalto. This place opened in 1997. They were very rushed and didn’t seem that eager to let/want you to enjoy their wine. And honestly, most of it wasn’t all that great anyway.

2015 Pennon Hill Sauvignon Blanc – very dry

2015 Pennon Hill Pinot Grigio – green apple at start, no finish

2015 Montalto Estate Pinot Gris – oak taste, more flavor

2015 Pennon Hill Pinot Noir – some sort of bite to it

2014 Pennon Hill Shiraz – light for a Shiraz

2015 Montalto Apple Cider – dry

That was the last one we visited. Nice spread all around and great way to check out the area.

Winery Stop 4, Red Hill Estate

Posted on April 25, 2016 by melsmosaic

Red Hill Estate was established in 1989 with 46 acres of land and 23 acres under vine. They have great views of the Mornington Peninsula, too. We went through their tasting (note, we were splitting tasting after the first one, we were not crazy people, and even then small sips were being taken).

Vintage Brut (This magnificent sparkling wine is made from 52% Chardonnay, 41% Pinot Noir and 7% Pinot Meunier. Created using the traditional “Methode Champenoise” system, this 2011 Vintage Brut exhibits a fine and persistent bead, a lively palate and a fresh acidity, which lingers harmoniously with the aged complexity.) – tiny apple flavor, young

Cool Climate Pinot Grigio (Displaying aromas of refreshing citrus and lime zest, some confectionery notes and a hint of musk on the nose, it is soft on the palate with freshly cut pears, some minerality and neat acidity back bone.) – pears, light flavor

Cool Climate Sauvignon Blanc (Flavours of green pea pods freshly picked from the garden flow into a herbacousness that keeps evolving into lime juice and Honeydew melon. Toward the end, and through the middle of all these flavours are tropical juices and passionfruit.) – huge nose, passion fruit

Cellar Door Release Chardonnay (On the nose there are pronounced aromas of citrus and caramelised pear, whilst on the palate it is beautiful fleshy with soft, crisp acids and delicately balanced flavours of baked fruits and pastry.) – butter and oak all the way home

Merricks Grove Chardonnay (With a fine, delicate bouquet of melon and toasty oak, this wine is an absolute delight; a clean minerality on the palate and complex layers of melon, peach and oak. A cool climate classic.) – not that exciting

Cellar Door Release Pinot Noir (Our 2014 Cellar Door Release Pinot Noir is a riot of mixed berries on the nose that work harmoniously with an underlying sprinkle of dusty oak. After an initial burst of juicy raspberry and fresh cherries on the palate, this superb wine finishes with a touch of spice that is both lingering, satisfying and strangely moreish.) – cool climate, earthy, some spices

Merricks Grove Pinot Noir (Made from 100% Mornington fruit, this immense Pinot Noir has lashings of raspberry and cherry compote on the nose whilst on the palate there is an abundance of soft, rich and comforting raspberry rhubarb that effortlessly mixes with a dusty oak finishing and gloriously fine tannins.) – fruitier than the prior pinot

Regional Release Heathcote Shiraz (The wine is deep purple in colour with aromas of dark cherry & raspberry and has subtle hints of spice & white pepper that lead to an intensely flavoured, well rounded (yet relatively soft) mouth feel of dark fruits, blackberries & oak influenced raspberries.) – Bring it home, awesome, pepper and berries

Regional Release Coonawara Cabernet Sauvignon (The wine displays rich and succulent blackcurrant and red berry characters that mix with a hint of cassis. On the palate the wine is enhanced by some subtle oak influence and finishes with smooth gentle tannins and a firm structure.) – thick, not great

Old Tawny (no winery description) – tastes like fruitcake

Winery Stop 3, Paringa Estate

Posted on April 25, 2016 by melsmosaic

Next we get heavenly views and amazing wines. We visited Paringa Estate which is family run and opened in 1985. We sipped some amazing stuff here.

2014 Estate Pinot Gris (The bouquet has lifted varietal fragrance of fresh cut pear and apple. The palate has fresh pear and citrus fruit flavours combined with lovely mid palate texture and balance, finishing crisp and dry) – smooth, fruity, crisp

2015 Estate Viognier (The bouquet of this wine has fragrant varietal aromas of apricot, citrus and spicy green pear. The palate has barrel ferment richness but still retains delicate apple, pear and cinnamon flavours with crisp acidity) – slight butter, apple and pear notes, would be perfect with lobster, side note

2015 Peninsula Chardonnay (The bouquet is floral and fruit driven with citrus and stone fruit aromas. The palate has rich stone fruit flavours, good texture and a persistent long finish. While this wine has been made for current drinking it will build further complexity over the next 3 to 6 years) – oak on end only

2015 Estate Chardonnay (The bouquet has a complex floral lift of citrus and stone fruit, with some secondary barrel ferment lees aromas. The palate has cool climate white fleshy stone fruits, citrus and savory nutty barrel ferment flavours. The wine has good palate weight and fine natural acid that leads to a long persistent finish.) – crisp, nutty (almond/walnut), almost no oak

2015 Peninsula Pinot Noir (The fruit for this wine was sourced from our three leased Red Hill Vineyards and a number of other high quality grower vineyards across the Mornington Peninsula. The warm finish to the growing season lead to a compact and busy harvest resulting in beautifully balanced, expressive wines.
Fruit was 100% de-stemmed and fermented in 2.5 tonne open fermenters. The fruit spent an average of 21 days in the fermenter on skins. Maturation took place over 11 months on lees in French oak barriques.) – AMAZING, dark cherry, tiny bit of chocolate/cocoa

2011 Estate Pinot Noir (Early disease pressure followed by cold and wet conditions during ripening meant fastidious vineyard management was pivotal in a successful 2011 vintage. With the Paringa vineyards in good health patience was then required as fruit maturity was reached up to four weeks later than average.
In the winery berries were de-stemmed (100%) and fermented in two-tonne open fermenters. Maturation took place over 11 months on lees in French Oak barrels (44% new))– earthy ‘brown’ tone because of the year

2012 Estate Pinot Noir (The Paringa team is confident the 2012 reds will be regarded amongst the Paringa greats. A hot weekend, then a week of solid rains in early March was followed by somewhat of an Indian summer. Pinot Noir yields in 2012 were down 20 – 30%, but resulted in great concentrated flavour & excellent overall quality.
In the winery berries were de-stemmed (100%) and fermented in two-tonne open fermenters. Maturation took place over 11 months on lees in French Oak barrels (50% new)) – fruity, more body

2014 Peninsula Shiraz (In the winery berries were de-stemmed and co-fermented with 5% Viognier in two-tonne open fermenters. Post fermentation, the wine maturation took place in seasoned French oak for 11 months before the wine was bottled) – AMAZING nose, white pepper, some black pepper, so good, so good, oh so good

2012 Estate Shiraz (The bouquet & palate has the Estate’s typical cool climate cracked black pepper / spice combined with blackberry and liquorice flavours and aromas. The firm fine grained tannins and acid provide excellent structure to the wine that will soften with bottle development. This is a wine that can be enjoyed young with food but will reward careful cellaring.) – Very nice

Yes, lots of wine. I’m really not kidding when I ask these people to just pour me a little bit. Now, this winery only sells from their winery. You can’t find them in stores. I couldn’t easily buy anything because this was day 2 of my 2.5 week trip to several cities (with about 4 more plane trips). It also apparently it not available in the US. Any wine distributors out there who are reading this…can you change this, please?

Winery Stop 2, Moorooduc Estate

Posted on April 25, 2016 by melsmosaic

The second place we decided to check out on wine-tour in Mornington Peninsula was Moorooduc Estate. This place was established in 1982, and is a small, family run wine business. So small of a vineyardt that when you pull into the parking lot you see the garage/work area where the great grape juice is being made. We took a few quick sips of the wine here. Very different than the first place.

2013 Moorooduc Estate Chardonnay (Pale lemon in colour with lovely fruit expression lemon/grapefruit citrus and white stone fruits, on the nose and palate with a crisp linear acid line and terrific length) – true Chard – buttery!

2013 Moorooduc Estate Pinot Noir (This wine, from the McIntyre, Robinson and Garden Vineyards, is bright cherry garnet in colour with a vibrant nose of red cherry, wild strawberry a hint of Campari and savoury notes of cloves, star anise and nutmeg. Elegant on the palate with bright fruit and crisp acidity the wine is long with a silky finish) – tough to explain but not my kind of PN

2013 Robinson Pinot Noir (On the palate, the red fruit is juicy and the spice is warm and subtle with violet notes. The wine shows generosity of mid-palate, and finishes with good acid and firm, silky tannins. Very good length with subtle power; complete and round) – earthy

2013 Garden Vineyard Pinot Noir (The whole bunch fermentation results in a deep garnet colour and a gorgeous savoury nose. Aromas of teak, dark wild cherry, morel mushrooms, earthy notes and dark red roses abound. There is a hint of roasting beef coated in chopped rosemary and thyme. On the palate the firm, fine-grained tannins are king, surrounding the savoury, meaty yet plush flavours and textures creating a dark mouthfeel that goes on and on. A beautifully balanced wine this pinot walks on the dark side and is seriously sexy!) – another very earthy one

2013 McIntyre Shiraz (no vinter notes on it) – Pinot drinker’s Shiraz

Nothing there I was thrilled with and not an overly eager-to-impress staff. But you must visit to find that out, too bad.

Winery Stop 1, Yabby Lake Vineyard

Posted on April 22, 2016 by melsmosaic

Sunny day, time to start the wine adventures in Mornington Peninsula. The first stop was Yabby Lake Vineyard. It opened in 1998 and they have 200 acres. They use all their own grapes for their wines. We had the opportunity to try many of their vinos that day, some from their Red Claw Collection, some from their Yabby Lake Collection.

2015 Red Claw Pinot Gris (A bright, refreshing style of pinot gris – bone dry and the perfect partner for fresh local seafood) – very light

2015 Red Claw Chardonnay (Beautifully focused and fine, this is a lovely modern expression of Mornington Peninsula chardonnay) – light on the oak, nice chard

2015 Yabby Lake Pinot Gris (A fine, refreshing style of pinot gris with delicate aromas and beautiful natural acidity) – could use a bit more body, not much taste

2014 Yabby Lake Chardonnay (A terrific year for chardonnay. The wine shows great purity, beautiful natural acidity, line and length) – WOW, not too oaky at all

2014 Yabby Lake Pinot Noir (Incredibly perfumed, finely structured and silky pinot noir) – earthy nose, tannic

2014 Yabby Lake Syrah (A perfumed and spicy Syrah, medium-bodied in style) – WOW, on the nose especially

2013 Heathcote Estate Shiraz (One of Heathcote’s best known Shiraz producers, concentrated yet beautifully balanced and fine) – OK