Twelfth Night: New Zealand Wine with Massachusetts Roots

If you wanted to build a successful winery, and could build it anywhere in the world, which region would you choose and why?

That's the decision Boston-based Vela Wines principals Max Risman, Arie Dahan, and Beth Ann Dahan were faced with a few years ago as they scoured the globe for a location. The eventually decided on New Zealand. On the twelfth day of a visit to the Central Otago region they found their mark and that night as they looked up at the stars the Twelfth Night name was born.

They now produce Pinot Noir, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand under the Twelfth Night label, with distribution occurring mostly in Massachusetts at this point. All things considered they felt Central Otago was the best place to start a winery. After meeting with Max and hearing about the region I'm inclined to think they knew what they were doing.

While I was taking WSET courses one of my absolute favorite wines we tasted was a Central Otago Pinot Noir. For me, it's most closely aligned with Oregon Pinot Noir in style, but falls more towards California in the flavor spectrum than most Oregon Pinots. That being the case, New Zealand Pinot Noir can be a real source of value.

Especially these wines from Twelfth Night which land at appealing price points and present a compeling quality:price ratio values.

I received a couple bottles to get to know them better. Here are my tasting notes...

2012 Twelfth Night Central Otago Pinot Noir
1,000 Cases Produced
14% Alcohol
$22 Retail
Rated 89 points by Wine Spectator

Medium bodied visually with vibrant ruby shades. Baked cranberries, citrus peel, and distinctive white pepper aromatics. These notes convey on the palate with just a tiny hint of effervescence on the palate that distracts a bit from an otherwise outstanding wine.

88/100 WWP: Very Good

2013 Twelfth Night Central Otago Riesling
400 Cases Produced
12.2 % Alcohol
$18
Rated 87 points by Wine Spectator

Light golden with grey tinges visually. Classic Riesling markings on the nose with appealing citrus notes. Lively on the palate and finishes clean. Free of off notes. Nice stuff.

86/100 WWP: Very Good

Get to know Vela wines better if you're attending the Boston Wine Expo this weekend. Their winemaker will be on hand describing how Central Otago is the Burgundy of the Southern Hemisphere. I hear they'll be offering some tasty discount codes as well.

Definitely check for their wines at retail especially if you're in the Boston area. Here are some listings on Wine-Searcher.

On the web: http://velawines.com
On Twitter: @VelaWines

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Tasting Report: Forrest Wines from New Zealand

New Zealand is an exciting wine region and a promising area to explore for value hunters. In addition to their notable Sauvignon Blancs, they're producing excellent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in addition to Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurtztraminer. I had a chance to taste through 3 wines from Forrest Wines over the course of a week. My notes are below.

2008 The Doctors' Riesling Marlborough
20,000 cases produced
8.5% alcohol
$17.99
My Notes:
I don't think I've ever seen a wine label so spot-on in its description: "Lime sorbet and juicy green apples...some lovely sweetness balanced by the fine acidity..." Indeed. This was the first of the 3 bottles I tried and I was on a major Riesling kick at the time. Comparing this wine to (what else) a German Riesling, this one didn't quite have the density or "zing" that my favorite Germans bring.
A touch of sweetness for sure, which I liked, but more flavor and weight and I would have enjoyed it more. Still, a very enjoyable bottle.
87 Points WWP: Very Good


2008 Forrest Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
1,500 cases produced
13.5% alcohol
$17.99
My Notes:
Okay, now we're on to a grape variety that New Zealand has done very well with. Although the classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc delivers intense, pungent aromas, this wine showed restraint. In discussing this wine via E-mail with Trevor Loomis from Forrest Wines, he described the wine as one that bucks the trend in New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs and goes for a more Loire Valley style wine. Yeah- I can see that. I could easily mistake this for a Sancerre blind. Very clean, nice acidity, and enjoyable citrus aromas and flavors. Really nice stuff.
89 Points WWP: Very Good


2007 Forrest Pinot Noir Marlborough
3,000 cases produced
14% alcohol
$23.99
My Notes:
I'm thinking of going on a New Zealand Pinot Noir kick after trying this (and other wines) recently. If I tasted this wine blind and had to guess whether it was from Burgundy, California or Oregon I'd likely guess Oregon. It's lower in acidity and more full-bodied that red Burgundy, yet it brings enjoyable mushroom/forrest floor aromatics that I really enjoy. I don't find these characteristics in most California Pinot Noirs I've tried.
I would have rated this one a little higher if it delivered more flavor, but what I tasted I liked very much.
88 Points WWP: Very Good

Where to Buy:

These wines are available in the following states:

• California
• Nevada
• Arizona
• Texas
• Southern Illinois
• Iowa
• Ohio
• Washington DC
• Pennsylvania

Related Reading:

• A tasting report of some outstanding German Riesling
• A write-up about a high-production New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that I use as a benchmark
• A tasting report from another New Zealand producer- Torrent Bay
• An outstanding and affordable Oregon Pinot Noir
  

I'd like to thank Forrest Wines for giving me the opportunity to taste through these wines.

Question of the Day: Have you seen Forrest Wines in stores in your area? Ever had 'em? What did you think?

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Tasting Report: Torrent Bay Wines

It's 5:30 PM on a Sunday. There's a knock at the door. It's Wayne Bayliss and Jill Cleaver from 28 Below Wine Imports from Australia. They've come bearing samples of Torrent Bay Wines from New Zealand- a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay. Hand delivery: That's one way to get around the restrictive shipping laws in Massachusetts.

Torrent Bay Wines is named after a body of water in Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand. They haven't been around too incredibly long- their first grapes were planted in the Moutere Hills of Nelson, New Zealand in the year 2000. Stylistically, the winery positions itself in contrast to many of the mass produced, mass marketed wines that we see on shelves in the U.S.

I had a chance to crack open each of the wines this past week. Here are my impressions:

2008 Torrent Bay Chardonnay
Nelson, New Zealand
10,000 cases produced
13.5% alcohol
$12.95
My Notes:
Pretty full bodied for a Chardonnay. If this were milk, it would be about 2% in terms of weight. It seemed fairly heavily oaked. A little quirky on the palate- can't quite put my finger on it. It's not a straightforward wine. Not my favorite, but hey I don't like many Chardonnays and the ones I do like aren't that critically acclaimed.
83 Points/WWP: Good


2008 Torrent Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Nelson, New Zealand
15,000 cases produced
12% alcohol
$12.95
My Notes:
In my experience, Sauvignon Blanc is what New Zealand does best. I thought this was a classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, if little bit less robust than my benchmark Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. A clean and lively citrus/grass nose. Nice minerality on the finish. Smooth. Delicious.
88 Points/WWP: Very Good

Check here for a list of their distributors in the United States.

Further Reading:

• 96 Point California Sauvignon Blanc
• 5 Freaking Delicious Wines (that wine geeks won't make fun of you for drinking)
• More Freaking Delicious Wines: Retailer Picks
  

I'd like to thank Wayne and Jill for giving me the chance to taste these wines.

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