Framingham Sauvignon Blanc 2011

16.5 / 20

Producer: Framingham

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

As usual for the whites from this brand, a lovely, precise New Zealand white.

Very expressive in the nose, showing passion fruit and pineapples without excesses. Very focused, very pure fruit notes that are combined with the greener, more vegetable feel - aspargus and green grass.

The vegetable side seems to take more proeminence in the palate, giving the wine a pleasurable bitterness that goes very well with the tropical fruit background. Intense, with a very good acidity, finishes long and pleasurable.

Framingham Classic Riesling 2009

16.5 / 20

Producer: Framingham

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

Really fragrant bouquet on this New Zealand Riesling, with lots of sweet white fruit and a really nice mineral, wet-stone backbone.

As is the case with the whites from this winery I've tasted so far, it feels very tuned and precise in the palate. A good deal of acidity goes very well with a more austere, mineral side that is, in turn, put in check by some sweeter, white fruit flavors.

Good length, feeling very balanced down to the end of the taste.

Sileni Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2010

16.0 / 20

Producer: Sileni

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

Straw colored, the nose shows notes of passion fruit and a marked vegetable side - the usual cut grass but also something that reminded me of sage and mint.

Crisp and fresh in the palate, with a decent structure, I felt this was not a fruit driven white, given that the vegetable notes were a bit more prominent than the passion fruit. A good, lengthy, dry ending with some lime notes wraps up the taste.

Tasted on 2011-09-26

Conceito Sauvignon Blanc 2010

16.5 / 20

Producer: Rita Ferreira Marques

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

And now, for something quite different, a New Zealand white from a young portuguese winemaker from the Douro that runs her own brand of wines. A very recent enterprise, her Douro wines have already made a very positive impression. And now she has decided to make wine on the other side of the globe.

Very yellow in the glass, almost golden, the bouquet is very exuberant and expressive. Very ripe passion fruits mingle with clean cut grass and asparagus to create a rich, enticing bouquet, fresh and focused like the best Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand.

In the palate, it shows itself as very structured, layered wine. Although it has a very fruit-forward approach, centering again on ripe passion fruit, there's a mineral backbone to it that gives it structure and weight. Dry finale with lingering notes of grass and vegetables, this has a great pleasant persistence.

A very good New Zealand white in its own right.

Tasted on 2011-08-24

Montana Pinot Noir Reserve 2007

16.0 / 20

Producer: Montana Wines

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

Medium range Pinot Noir from New Zealand, it shows a light garnet color typical of the Pinot Noir. The nose is also very Pinot Noir like, with a lot of red fruit - strawberries - and a subtle background of spices. Very appealing and a fresher approach than some other New Zealand Pinot Noirs.

Light bodied and soft but still able to show some structure. Clearly dominated by red fruit throughout the taste but it is given some complexity by a subtle background of spices and vanilla. Surprisingly persistent given its lightness on the mouth.

Tasted on 2011-02-01

Framingham Riesling 2008

16.5 / 20

Producer: Framingham

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

Having tasted the sauvignon blanc a while back, I recently had the chance to taste the Riesling from the Framingham Wine Company. Like the Sauvignon, it turned out to be a really good white wine revealing a pure, crystalline approach that impressed me.

My nose markers fail miserably to capture any of this Riesling aromas as it starts off by resembling oil, later morphs into rubber. More usual notes of citrus and some mineral are present in the background. The nose is impressive in its pureness and sharpness and altogether surprising due to the rubber and oil notes.

In the mouth, it's a fresh, acid wine, with some sweet fruit thrown into a well structured, full body. Long persistence, it lingers in the palate for quite some time after the last drop has been drank.

Framingham has at least another Riesling wine in its portfolio. It's not available where I live, but I would definitely try to track it down.

Tasted on 2010-12-24

Matua Valley Pinot Noir 2007

15.5 / 20

Producer: Matua Valley

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

Delicate red in colour, the bouquet is filled with strawberries and, in the background, some earthy, mossy notes. All very delicate and fragile, although it gains somes momentum after being in the glass for some time. But it seemed to lack some of the complexity I usually find in good Pinot Noir.

In the mouth, it is a soft bodied wine, as expected, relying on acidity and fruit to make an impression. Very soft and delicate finish filled with more strawberries, although it seemed a bit short. As with the nose, it seems to gain some more attributes by being in the glass for some time, gaining some more acidity and depth.

But overall, I felt that it needed something more to make a difference, although being an honest, straightforward wine.

Tasted on 2010-11-09

Framingham Sauvignon Blanc 2007

16.5 / 20

Producer: Framingham

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

A good sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, it starts by showing aromas of tropical fruit - mainly grapefruit - with some grass notes in the background, although these are not too overwhelming. The taste starts by showing exuberant tropical fruit and grass notes again, supported by a good acidity. The ending is good and has a mineral touch that helps to balance the whole ensemble and keep it from being just another Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Try it.

Tasted on 2010-06-29