I attended an excellent tasting at Decanta Tapas Bar in New Plymouth last night with Tim Turvey and Lisa Clarke from Clearview Estate Winery.
A great turnout of like minded wine lovers enjoyed tasting their way through 10 delicious Hawke’s Bay wines along with some yummy tapas to try with the wines. At the same time we were subjected to a humorous, often naughty, but informative presentation by Tim, who at many times during the evening had us all in fits of laughter.
We also learned a little about the similarity between Tim’s wines and those of the varietals & regions of France; Burgundy, Bordeaux etc. and other wine regions of the world. It was one of the better winemaker presentations I have been to in a while – thanks Tim, Lisa and the team at Decanta!
Clearview Estate was established in the Hawke’s Bay region at Te Awanga by Tim and Helma van den Berg in 1988, and with hard graft have been producing iconic, hand crafted wines focusing on high quality wines with great fruit intensity…
They produce over 25 different wines across many well known NZ varietals, but also specializing in a number of lesser known and rarely planted varietals, new to New Zealand: Semillon, Sauvignon Gris, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and even Chambourcin!
To top the evening off, a few lucky punters won a nice bottle to take home from a ‘very generous’ lucky draw! Thanks to Tim, Lisa and especially to John and the team at Decanta who make these tastings happen – CHEERS!
Wines tasted on the night with my thoughts were:
(click links to visit Clearview Estate website for tasting notes and technical information, or buy online.)
2015 Karaka: a Sauvignon Gris, orange style wine, first time made, pale rose, peachy and aromatic, interesting!
2015 Te Awanga Gewurztraminer: pale onion skin, rose petals, ginger & turkish delight, good spicy food wine, delightful!
2015 Coastal Chardonnay: green gold, fruit forward, concentrated peaches and pears, crisp and fresh with just a hint of oak / malo!
2014 Reserve Chardonnay: bright lemon gold, big chardy, burnt caramel, creamy oak & stone-fruit, complex and textures!
2015 Cape Kidnappers Syrah: black cherry in colour, field flowers, spice and oak, black pepper, black fruit, silky tannins, long finish!
2014 Cape Kidnappers Merlot Malbec: Deep purple to the rim, faint leather & chocolate notes, plums and dark berries, grippy tannins, big oak, too young still?
2013 Pinot Noir Des Trois: co-fermented with fruit from Martinborough and Te Awanga, bright red cherry coloured, slight earth / mushroom nose, intense cherry-berry fruit, tight tannins, needs more time!
2013 Two Pinnacles Malbec: Dark plum almost black in colour, massive fruit spice and oak, unusual chalky texture / tannin / oak mouth-feel, wonderful!
2013 Old Olive Block: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec blend, Deep black cherry , complex nose of savoury, spice & blackcurrents following through to rich fruit & soft tannins on the finish!
NV Sea Red: a fortified red dessert wine, (varietals unknown) rich with berries & plums, sweetness from 180g/l residual sugars and warmth for the 17.5% alcohol. Lovely way to finish the evening.
Some of the wines tasted.To find out more, visit the Clearview Estate Website: http://www.clearviewestate.co.nz/ on like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clearviewestate