No, I’m not talking about another mind-altering substance now under debate, but a pronounced green, leafy, capsicum note that was prevalent in cabernet-based New Zealand reds from the 1980s and ’90s.
It is derived from a chemical compound called methoxypyrazine, which is also found in sauvignon blanc.
Discussion during the tasting centred on the eradication of this character, with the increased drinkability this has given New Zealand reds.
2018 Mills Reef Reserve
Gimblett Gravels
Merlot Malbec
Price: $24.95
Rating: Very good to excellent
Attractive nose of dusty
stones, earth and bonfire
smoke with darker fruits
emerging. Brightly fruited,
boysenberry and plum,
and a powerful smoky note
with time. Medium weight,
juicy with fresh acidity and
an attractively dry, almost
chalky mid palate. Already
showing nice drinkability.
2018 Kahurangi Estate
Regional Selection
Hawke’s Bay
Merlot Cabernet
Price: $21.99
Rating: Very good
to excellent
Subtle nose with hints of
spice, blackcurrant, fruit
pastille and a gravelly
quality. Bold fruit-driven
style with crunchy bright
tannins that grow with
aeration, adding a ferrous
note over time. Showing
its brashly youthful side
now. A zesty style
offering enjoyable
drinking at a very fair
price.
2019 Kahurangi Estate
Monte
Nelson
Montepulciano
Price: $24.99
Rating: Very good
to excellent
Fragrant, floral nose, cassis,
rose and raspberry. Boldly
juicy and crunchy palate, a
little grainy element to the
texture, ripe dark fruits
caressed by some nicely
judged tannins. Youthful
playfulness, a sweet
raspberry cordial note
countered by a tangy
quality. Crisp, long, fruit-
driven close. A lot of
appeal.
2016 Church Road
Grand Reserve
Hawke’s Bay
Merlot Cabernet
Price: $44.99
Rating: Excellent
to outstanding
Powerful cedary oak,
intensely fruited with
cassis, plum and a
whisper of leaf. Silky and
sumptuous palate before
powerful tannins come
rushing in; underlying this
is sweetly ripe fruit, spicy
nuances and hints of
black tea. Built for the long
haul yet approachable
now with a long finish.
Super stuff.
2016 Pegasus Bay
Maesto Merlot Cabernet
Malbec
Price: $52
Rating: Excellent
Opens to fruit jube/berry jam,
moving to plum, bonfire smoke
and a funky earthy note. The
palate mixes sweet fruit,
spices, oak nuances, lead
pencil, road tar and earth,
subtly building tannins
adding chewiness to the
texture. An intriguing
rusticity to this. This one
plays with my head, yet the
complexity and depth win
the day.
2018 Mills Reef Reserve
Gimblett Gravels
Merlot
Price: $24.95
Rating: Excellent
Leaf mulch, blackcurrant,
herbs, dusty gravel. Sweet
fruit yet not overblown,
featuring blackcurrant, leaf
and earthy touches. Fine
and elegant, a sort of Kiwi
classicism with its
medium weight, the fine
tannins giving this
structure to take this
forward. Already showing
excellent drinkability, yet
potential too.
