Joining me on the tasting panel again were Dunedin wine enthusiasts Alastair McLaren and Ricky Collins.
The wines were served blind in completely randomised order and are reviewed in the order they were tasted.
On the bench were a group of wines that are generally widely available in both restaurant and retail, well priced and meant to be enjoyed in their youth.
Many of these wines are becoming brands in their own right.
Price: RRP $28-29 ($23-$24 on special)
Rating: Good
Raspberries on the nose, ripe fruit with herbal elements. Noticeable charry oak character that runs through the nose and palate. Palate is quite chewy with a savoury touch and a core of sweet fruit evolving into some bitter cherry. Powerful wine and firm on the finish. Food friendly and should soften with time.
Price: RRP $27-$28 ($22-$24 on special)
Rating: Good
Opens with appealing fruit sweetness and cherries in a typical ''Central'' mode. The palate is shy at first but fleshes out to fill the mouth. Youthful, fine dry tannins and acidity drive the wine along. Very firm tannins on the finish with wild thyme notes. Quite grippy at the moment, needing food and some time.
Price: RRP $29.99 ($22-$24 on special)
Rating: Very good
Liqueur cherries and dark fruits with some earthy forest-floor notes. Supple palate, vibrant, youthful and bright. Ripe and generous in the mouth in a deliciously accessible, fruit-forward style. A whisper of oak pops its nose up with air. An appealing and nicely balanced wine with a juicy finish, that is rather moreish.
Price: RRP $29.99 (cheaper on promo)
Rating: Excellent
Very lifted fragrance onopening, with rose petals and musk: time brings cherries and dark fruits to the fore. Dark fruits on the palate; a wine that manages lovely ripe fruit flavours without feeling overly sweet. Finely balanced wine with good complexity. Some fresh acidity gives raciness to the finish. Nice drinking here.
Price: $29 ($22-25 on promo)
Rating: Very good
A whisper of oak with savoury characters. A core of sweet fruit runs through the wine, with Vegemite and savoury notes again on the palate. A bit of a slow burner, this; it improved with time in the glass. A finer-boned style; not so fruit forward but quite complex, with some secondary characters. In a good place.
Price: RRP $29 ($22-$24 on promo)
Rating: Excellent
Lovely classical Central Otago nose with dark cherry, spices and a hint of soy sauce. Lifted juicy palate with crunchy berryfruit. Velvety, silky mouthfeel with hints of herbs. Lots going on here, finely balanced and some fine tannin to lend structure to the wine. An absolute delight.
Price: RRP $25.50
Rating: Good
Burnt match and charry oak dominate the nose. Savoury, dark fruits and spices come up on the palate with some Marmite: an acid spine giving backbone. Good fruit weight and length with hints of black tea coming through. A bit four square today with oak dominating the wine: this needs to come together, I feel.
terrasancta.co.nz
