Distant Land Pinot Gris 2007, $18 

Distant Land Merlot Malbec 2007, $18

 

New Zealand is a new and blossoming wine region. It’s had several consistant vintages that have delivered many quality wines. Typically, though, one expects Sauvignon Blancs and Pinots from the Southern Islands. When I was offered a couple of bottles of their latest vintage, I thought it would be OK, but I was quite excited when one was a Merlot-Malbec blend. This is a common but not typical blend from Bordeaux—Malbec added to offer some extra depth and colour to the Merlot—but I was surprised to hear that New Zealand was trying their hand at that grape. The Pinot Gris was a little more expected but, nevertheless, worthy of a try.

 

I started with the Pinot Gris. The deep yellow juice showed a hint of oranges and offered up a very relaxed nose with lots of underlying citrus notes. I found the wine slightly acid, moreso than most, but it had a decent body and structure to it. The taste of nectarine was strongest, particularly at the front of the palate, but it disappeared a little quickly for my tastes. 

 

Overall, I found the wine to be a pleasant drink at a more than fair price.

 

Next was the Merlot-Malbec. This wine showed as a limp, watered down juice with a lighter colour than one would expect. But with a good sniff of the odour, I was drawn to close my eyes and imagine the colours. It sounds completely silly but the nose was intoxicating, partly due to the punch of alcohol but also the earthy undertones. A pleasure to smell but what of the taste?

 

I found the wine to be quite tart and loaded with tannins. Slowly the overreliance on tannins fades and it offers up deeper flavours of spice and leather. These flavours linger for quite a while.