Nelson

2009 Blackenbrook Nelson Gewurztraminer

Normally $29. Here's a grape variety that is so often overlooked but with its beautiful perfume and capacity to enhace our Asian styled cooking its well worth drinking good examples. Because of its thin skin and difficulties in handling good gewurtz. at the right price is hard to find but with Blackenbrooks winemaker having worked in Alsace for many years this certainly reflects in the quality of this wine. "Delicious now, this Alsace-style beauty has a fullbloomed fragrance and peachy, spicy flavours, gently sweet, rounded and rich. 4 1/2 Stars M.Cooper. Made from sustainable fruit, low yielding hand picked fruit, gavity feed and no filtration. Bliss

2010 Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Gris

Normally $27. Daniel is the ex- chief winemaker at Seifried Estate so this Swiss born winemaker knows how to make aromatics after working in Alsace for many years. 5 Stars from M.Cooper who writes "An emerging classic. The 2010 was hand picked at 25.7 brix.Harbouring 15 per cent alcohol, it is beautifully floral, with fresh, very vibrant peach, pear and spice aromas and flavours, a hint of ginger, slight sweetness (20 grams/litre of residual sugar), and lovely purity, delicacy and richness. Also recommended by Bob Campbell in his 'Best Under $30 Category' in Gourment Traveller Magazine. Made from Sustainable fruit, hand picked with no fining. A very natural product at a steal for quallity gris.

2010 Blackenbrook Nelson Sauvignon Blanc

"Blackenbrook is small ( 4 hectares ) and new ( first wine from 2004 ), so its hardly surprising it's little known outside Nelson. Swiss owners Daniel and Ursula Schwarzenbach have the meticulous approach to winemaking for which their countrymen are famous, while Daniel has some serious winemaking experience under his belt. He has worked for top producers in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France, and has judged wine at competitions in Switzerland, France, Germany and China. Its greatest strengths are pinot gris, gewurztraminer, riesling, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Quality has crept up in recent years and if it continues, Blackenbrook has a very bright future." Bob Campbell "The 2010 is a basically dry style. Mouthfilling and sweet-fruited, it is punchy, limey and slightly minerally, showing good freshness and liveliness and a crisp, long finish." M.Cooper

2009 Blackenbrook Nelson Chardonnay

'Made by the ex chief winemaker of Seifreids who made legendry chardonnay and he has carried on this tradition now with his own winery. Blackenbrook wines have burst on the scene in Nelson. This is an excellently priced, quality chardonnay. "A seductively supple and luscious wine with elegant butterscotch, bran biscuit and toasted nut flavours adding complexity to citrus fruit and pineapple characters." Great value well made chardonnay

2011 Neudorf Moutere Pinot Gris

2011 Blackenbrook Nelson Rose

From Sustainable Production and Vegan, this is from Blackenbrooks home block. "Estate-grown and hand picked, the very easy drinking 2011 is a pale pink, with slightly earthy aromas. The palate is strawberries, with good delicacy and freshness, and a well-rounded dry finish." M.Cooper

2009 Blackenbrook Nelson Riesling

4 1/2 Stars from M.Cooper who writes "Very youthful, tight and racy, the 2009 was estate grown and hand picked. A medium style ( 15 grams/litre of residual sugar ) it has strong peach, lemon and lime flavours, threaded with lovely acidity. Vibrantly fruity, with a minerally streak, it shows excellent intensity and obvious cellaring potential."

2009 Blackenbrook Nelson Reserve Pinot Noir

Hand picked, hand sorted, hand plunged and gravity feed with aging in new and two year French oak. All the ingredients are there and combined with the vastly experienced ( ex Siefried Estate chief winemaker ) winemaker this is a very good single vineyard Moutere Pinot Noir. "It sneaks over $30 but it taste like a $50 Pinot. Well known for their gorgeous aromatic wines, Daniel and Ursula Schwarzenbach have fashioned this impressive Pinot Noir from their home vineyard in Moutere. It's luxurious on the nose displaying red/black cherry, spice, game and cedary oak characters. The palate is concentrated and dense with silky texture and plenty of fine, polished tannins. The wine is engaging and complex with potential to develop greater richness." Sam Kim - senior wine judge- Wine Orbit Magazine

2009 Blackenbrook Reserve Chardonnay

Just released and long awaited- none was made in 2008. This is one of those creamy smooth classic chardonnays we are so often asked for. This winery knows how to make this style as the winemaker used to be chief winemaker at Seifreids who won countless awards for this style. A single vineyard growen on the Moutere clays. Hand picked, hand sorted, gravity feed, 12 mths barrel aging, 100% malolactic fermentation. "After ageing for 12 months in new French 500 Litre barrels, this is an attractively opulent wine with sizzled butter, bran biscuit and toasted nut flavours adding complexity to citrus and pineapple characters. The wine is built for ageing and we recommend to enjoy it between now and 2014.

2010 Neudorf Nelson Chardonnay

Normally $35."Overshadowed by its famous stablemate ( Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay ), this regional blend is a fne Chardonnay in its own right. Grown at Upper Moutere ( mostly ), but also at Kina, on the coast, and at Brightwater on the Waimea Plains, it is fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak casks, and given a full, softeneing malolatic fermentation. The 2010 is rich and very vibrant. Youthful, with a distinct hint of butterscotch it is a crisp, peachy and slightly spicy, with finely balanced oak, good acid drive and invitingly fragrant bouquet. 4 ½ Stars M.Cooper"