Clearview Estate Semillon 2008, Hawke’s Bay

This light golden coloured wine has a slightly odd nose consisting of a lot of oak and a bit of vanilla. I was a bit dubious by the nose as to what it would be like but was pleasantly surprised to find it was lovely to taste. It has tropical flavours that are balanced with a light honey/vanilla flavour and a touch of acid. It is probably nearing the end of its life and I would not suggest cellaring any longer and in fact I should look to drink the 09 soon too. Having said that, there is a lot of complexity and intrigue that is begging me to have a another taste.

From a wine and food pairing perspective, the wine worked surprisingly well with a pumpkin and chilli soup that had a good dose of butter in it. This drew out vanilla/butter characteristics of the wine and was still nicely balanced.

Te Mata Estate Viognier Woodthorpe Vineyard 2007

With oil and a bit of acid to the nose this wine has a lovely golden hue and huge legs at 4 years of age. To taste the acid is too strong and I should really have opened it earlier (I knew I was pushing my luck a bit). I recall drinking this wine when it was younger and it was significantly better.