Ployez Jacquemart Selection Rose: Lovely – just right, and its pinkness was Christmas-appropriate.  And it won over a non champagne crowd with its delicate strawberry and lemon notes.
Ployez Jacquemart Brut 2000: Served too warm – tasty nonetheless for being Christmas day.  Another bottle will get consumed very shortly.
Auburn Lowburn Riesling 2010: Improving out if sight with a year’s age (personal interest disclaimer on this label).
Joseph Sparkling Red 2010 disg: My favourite disgorgement of this wine so far. Sweeter and fruit-fresher than earlier versions, although the alcohol seems to stick out a little more these days. Like it a lot.
Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Auslese 1993: A cellar release from 2010.  Best bottle so far out of a sixpack. Shows its pradikat through weight rather than sweetness, with juicy acidity balance perfectly by racy green pineapple and lemon fruit which is nly now showing signs of its 18 years of age.

From the Gimblett Gravels in the Hawke’s Bay region. Oh, of New Zealand. A complex and alluring nose. Nice red fruits and sweet dusty spices, undertones of meat and vanilla, with musk, and even citrus overtones. The palate showed dark cherry and red plum with cinnamon and mixed spices. Possesses a fine balance. Sealed under cork and looked much improved on the second night. RRP around $40 I would guess. 13.0% abv. Drink 2014+. 92 points.

I must admit that Central Otago isn’t normally my cup’o'tea. End of preamble. A good deep red in colour. Nice florals, black cherries and a bit of beetroot, and some spice too. Initial impressions are of a full flavoured palate that is richly fruited, raspberries and red cherries more than dark fruits, backed up by cinnamon bark and nutmeg spices, and the flavours disappear pretty quickly. There is also a slight bitterness on the finish. Sealed under screwcap. Abv is somewhere between 13.5% and 14%. A sample of the local distributor. RRP $32, but a quick search online should yield a better price pretty quickly. Not one for the cellar; drink over the short term, 2011-2015. 86 Points.

My wife said, “Not another one!!”. Well, I am back here again. But luckily, with better results this time, and though the wine is still “out there”, this one is within the bounds of what I find enjoyable. Red in colour, with a hint of browning and only slightly cloudy. An interesting nose, with cassia bark, pepper and stalk, a broad red fruited sweetness, cherries, rhubarb, stewed strawberries; quite pleasant. The palate has a nice body to it, pushing a little on the stalky/green/mulchy spectrum, but getting away with it I think. Looked similar on the second night. Not sure if or how long to cellar it, so I’m drinking my bottles now. Drink 2011-2013. 88 points.

After my experience with the Angel Flower wine I did some research and found this on the Pyramid Valley website, relating specifically to this wine:

Note: Despite their saline energy and great extract, one could be forgiven for believing that wines like these will need to be enjoyed early. I’d suggest you try the following experiment: open a bottle, drink a glass or two, then recap; continue this protocol over several days, even a week. I think you’ll be astonished by their resilience in the presence of oxygen. This bodes well for positive development in cellar.

And this is exactly what I did do.

Day #1: a cloudy red in colour. Brown sugar and green stalks. The palate is thin and bitter, red fruits smeared across cheap wood, finishing with pine needle dryness. Also leaves a hot raspy volatile flavour in the mouth. Huurrrhhhh. 77 points.

Day #2: oh god that was awful. Like some sort of cleaning product. Do not put in your mouth. Undrinkable. How do I rate this? I think the minimum points on the 100 point scale is 50, but considering this didn’t kill me, I’ll give it 55 points.

Day #3: same result as Day #2. End of the experiment.

I have contacted the winery to find an explanation for this poor showing, but haven’t received a reply yet.

The colour is a distinct surprise: a rusty brown and quite cloudy. Is this right? Well it is unfiltered and unfined so it is a possibility. A nose of brown sugar, malt, cherries and strawberries and old wood. The palate was broad, showing brown fruits, old leather, malt vinegar, stewed strawberries, and finishing with sweet acetic acid and the dry extract. Five hours later and there is no improvement, offering candied citrus rind, milky and blurred, sweeter notes on the nose and palate but with a dull and metallic finish. There is no delicacy or transparency; it is smeared, clunky and unfocussed. This doesn’t seem to be quite right, and I thought about opening another bottle, but didn’t want to have two disasters in the same evening. Is it faulty? Does it need more time? Perhaps it’s fine and I just don’t get it. Sealed under screwcap. 13.8% abv. 82 points. Retails $100+.

Next bottle on the bench is the AC/DC “Back in Black” Shiraz (by popular demand)

I was looking for a cheapish Pinot; I do love the Hoddles Creek, but there’s only so much of it that I can drink. Anyway, so I bought a case of this wine on spec from Winestar for $19.90 per bottle. There must have been a good review or something attached to the offer. Regardless, I have not been disappointed, with the tail of a third bottle being finished now. Not all consumed today you understand. A fresh nose, with cherries, stalks, spice and woody notes. The palate is bright, following the nose with red cherries and sap, and finishing with some stalk and smoke. The tannins are a touch drying in the mid-palate, and there is a hint of greenness. 86 points. Drink 2011-2016. Quite tasty and friendly, though a bit on the simple side. Nonetheless pretty good value for a Pinot. Pinot-bashers please refrain from comment

I have been moved to speak. This wine is from the Cardoness Vineyard in Hawke’s Bay. Some dry spice on the nose, with red fruits, black pepper, black earth and some dry mulch. The palate is light to medium bodied, with some appealing ripe fruits, plums and black pepper, sour cherries, dried mushrooms and a touch of bark on the finish. Nicely structured, with a considerable amount of elegance and length. 88 points. 12.7% abv. (!). I think I need to kick my Barossa habit. Sealed sensibly with a Diam. Has retailed around $35, but is less now I believe. Check out Eurocentric Wine for the latest information.

Not sure where this bottle came from. Hopefully I wasn’t cellaring it for someone else. Still a good red colour. A ripe nose, plums more than cherries, Christmas spices, old dried meat, some spirit and a bit of acetone. An acid driven palate, some lighter fruit, cherries and cranberries, dry woody spices, some alcohol warmth, and a chemically bite on the finish. A bit lumpy with quite simple flavours (compared to the aromatics); more of a dry red style. Cannot see this going anywhere good. Drink now. Sealed under screwcap. 14.5% abv. 85 points.

I don’t drink a lot of white wines, but when I saw some positive reviews of this wine I asked for a sample bottle. From the Awatere Valley in Marlborough, and a winner of a Blue-Gold Award at the Sydney International Wine Competition in addition to being one of the top 100 wines at the show.

An interesting nose, with white asparagus, lemons, sherbet and a touch of tropical fruits too. The palate showed some herbaceousness, with lemons, limes, grapefruit and a touch of minerals and herbs. Citrus acids drive the palate and there is a pleasant fruit concentration. Sealed under screwcap. 13.0% abv. Winery sample. RRP $16.99. Drink 2010-2012. 88 points.