Tasted 24th May 2011


New Zealand

Cowrie Bay Chardonnay 2010 Gisborne, New Zealand 5.99
Buyer’s Highlight - This joins the growing number of bulk-shipped and UK-bottled exclusives, and is part of the wine-making
opportunity opened up by Montana (sorry, Brancott) dropping its contracts on Gizzy Chardy vineyards. Fingers crossed its
attractive price point aligned with decent quality will kick-start a long-awaited consumer reminder of the delights of Kiwi
Chardonnay, from which they might be persuaded to trade up.
100% Chardonnay and a new stablemate to our phenomenally successful Cowrie Bay Sauvignon Blanc. From deep fertile soil and various
Gisborne sites, harvested in April. Cool-fermented in stainless steel. Partial malolactic fermentation and a judicious amount of oak (5%) was
used to add texture and maintain a fruit-driven style. Shipped in bulk to be bottled in the UK. Winemaker Mike Just. Alc 12.5%, TA 5.51g/l,
pH 3.41, RS 10.3g/l. Special Offer: 2 for £10, £5.99 - £5.00 from 20/07 to 16/08. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 253 branches.
Deep colour. Lemony nose. A little fizz. Price about right.

Saint Clair Vicar’s Choice Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Wairau Valley,
Marlborough, New Zealand 9.99
Buyer’s Highlight - Long an admirer of both the Ibbotsons and Matt Thomson and their Block series wines - they are no slouches
when it comes to putting together larger blends either.
100% Sauvignon Blanc from free-draining alluvial Wairau Valley sites such as Rapaura, Brancott Valley and Lower Wairau. The grapes
were harvested 3rd - 22nd April 2010, pressed with minimal skin contact and cool fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeast
to retain freshness and ‘zing’. Winemaker Matt Thomson. Alc 13.5%, TA 7.4g/l, pH 3.38, RS 4.2g/l. Suitable for vegetarians. Available from
Waitrose Wine Direct and 212 branches.
Pithy, mineral, elder nose. Lovely taste. Just beautifully balanced. There’s fruit,but it isn’t sweet and OTT. It’s clearly acidic but just on the right side of sharp. Clean, pithy and long.

Chile

Torres Las Mulas Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Central Valley, Chile 8.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc, painstakingly crafted from the finest organic grapes, grown in the poorest soils, from vineyards in the Central
Valley. Planted on plots which had not been cultivated for many years, and so harbour a healthy biodiversity of beneficial insects. The
soil in this San Luis de Alico vineyard is very deep, so the roots grow undeterred, allowing the vines to achieve a balance in maturity
without irrigation. Vines are 10 years old, spur-pruned and planted at a density of 4,320vines/ha. Grapes were hand-picked 22nd - 30th
March 2011 with a yield of 10,000-12,000kg/ha. Skin contact took place for 4 hours at low temperature followed by a 21 day ferment at
18°C. Winemaker Fernando Almeda. Alc 13.0%, TA 6.2g/l, pH 2.9, RS 2.0g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 228 branches.
Catty and quite astringent nose. Varietally correct and with quite a long taste.

Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Walker Bay, South Africa 10.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc from vines which are high-density planted and yield a very low 36.3hl/ha. Yields are limited with a green harvest,
depending on the vintage. Soils are 54% Table Mountain sandstone with 46% clay-rich shale. The grapes were hand-harvested,
destemmed and soft-pressed. Reductive winemaking used to retain freshness. The juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks at 10 - 14°C
for 21 - 28 days. The new wine was then aged on lees for 3 months. Alc 13.0%, TA 7.5g/l, pH 3.12, RS 1.4g/l. Special Offer: £10.99 - £8.79,
Save 20% from 25/05 to 21/06. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 212 branches.
Restrained, elder and a more Old World nose. Pithy, acidic and clean.

Petaluma Riesling 2008 Hanlin Hill, Clare Valley, S Australia 10.99
100% Riesling from vines planted in Hanlin Hill Vineyard in 1968 on the eastern-most slopes of the Clare Valley. The grapes were hand-picked
in the first week of March, transported to the Petaluma winery in the Piccadilly Valley and immediately crushed. The free run juice was then
cold settled in stainless steel tanks at 0°C, clarifying without filtration. The juice was then racked into fermentation tanks and inoculated with
Petaluma’s chosen yeast. Cool fermented for 6 - 7 weeks to dryness and chilled to -2°C before a gentle filtration to bottle in June 2008.
Winemaker Andrew Hardy. Alc 13.0%, TA 6.8g/l, pH 3.06, RS 3.9g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 239 branches.
Golden colour. Beautiful, intense and honeyed Riesling. Ripe and yet bone dry. Very pithy and typical. Lovely. Only for Riesling nuts though. *

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