Tasting Notes of Latest Vintage

Here are my tasting notes of the 2016 vintage.

Three Peaks

Leather and cumin on the nose concealing dark fruits. The palate has a nice balance of acidity and alcohol. Tannins are still chewy and the flavours are quite earthy and stony rather than fruity. After a few minutes the wine develops an interesting orange-peel aroma that is a bit of a hallmark of this wine in all vintages.

Motus

Cocoa, caramel and dried figs are all present in the aromas. The palate is rich with good acidity and round tannins. Plenty of concentration with a long, dry finish.

Le Secret

Complex nose of camphor, sun-heated wood and black cherries. In the mouth it is rich and spicy. A burst of fruit comes at the end of the palate which leaves a lovely, lingering grilled meat flavour.

Tahi

Ripe red fruits and pencil-shavings combine with raisins on the nose. The palate is noticeably smoother than the other red wines at this stage with mouth-coating, furry tanins. The wine has a lovely balance even though the oak characters are still a bit obvious at the moment.

I also tasted the two vintages of Tahi that we will be releasing soon. I didn't make one in 2014.

2015 Tahi

A whiff of classy oak is followed by stewed dark fruits held together by a mineral spiciness (if that makes sense). The palate is nicely rich with the same spicy dark fruits in the aroma. The tannins are developing very nicely and the aftertaste is long and promising.

2013 Tahi

Really beautiful nose of rich oriental spices and dried fruits like figs and prunes. The palate is very well balanced and yet concentrated. It has a delicious finish and aftertaste of char-grilled Mediterranean vegetables.