1998 Te Mata Coleraine, Cab/Merlot, Hawke’s Bay
Like in Australia, 1998 was an outstanding vintage in New Zealand. This young, muscular red shows why. Opaque black color. A heady nose of cassis, blackberry, licorice stick, mocha, minerals, and notes of leather. There is a sense of dust, not unlike Napa’s Rutherford dust. The firm tannins on the finish have a chocolate edge. This is a big, young wine, still on the upswing.
MSRP: $45 My Rating: 93 points

2000 Turkey Flat Grenache Noir, Barossa
Deep color for a Grenache. Sharp, petulant nose of dusty strawberry, raspberry, and lightly candied, cherry fruit. Sweetens up nicely on the palate. A very gulpable wine.
MSRP: $22 My Rating: 90 points

2002 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc, Woodthorpe, Hawke’s Bay
Pale straw color with streaks of emerald. Trademark chili pepper, awash in juicy gooseberry and passionfruit, with a note of grapefruit acidity. Fills out on the palate, with a sweet juicy quality that stimulates the saliva glands. This juicyfruit quality and the pepper echo on the afterflavor. A great example of the Hawke’s Bay style.
MSRP: $18? My Rating: 91 points

2002 Selaks Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
Pale straw color. Gooseberry, pear, and green peas, with a bright, sharp, lemon/lime note. Medium-bodied; clean and crisp.
MSRP: $15 My Rating: 89 points

2001 Hugo Estate Unwooded Chardonnay, McLaren Vale
A style that is really catching on Down Under. Bright and focused, with sharp lemon and green apple fruit. Crisp and refreshing. In food pairings, can easily be substituted for a Semillon or Verdelho.
MSRP: $14? My Rating: 87 points

2001 Ninth Island Pinot Noir, Tasmania
Wine from Tasmania? Who woulda thunk?? This is a lighter style of Pinot, with pretty, buttery raspberry and cherry fruit. There’s a fair amount of smoky oak, and a good sense of grip at the end. Good varietal character.
MSRP: $15? My Rating: 86 points

highdesertwine

Wine from Tassie - you bet. Even though not offically part of Australia, those Taswegians have been producing good plonk in the last decade. Must be something to do with two heads being better than one. The ninth island isn't the best example, but the pinots are particularly promising (Piper's brook, Springvale, Apsley Gorge, Domaine A). Also promise with very crisp Chardonnay and Sparkling wine.

Wine tastes better upside down.

Thanks for the additional info. Ninth Island is 'way ahead of the curve compared to where California was 2 decades ago, in regards to making Pinot.

highdesertwine

Springvale 1999 Pinot -yum!!! I had a bottle of this about six months ago-really good wine-very impressed. Say a 88-89 pointer.

Jeremy Ellis<br />Brown's Seriously Fine Wines<br />Auckland, NZ<br />mighty turnip hunter. The animals are just to damn fast.

Had the Ninth Island 2001 PN tonight. Found above notes accurate. I regard this as a lightweight PN with no special attributes other than low price, which is not enough to redeem its ordinariness. 85.

Dick