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Tasting notes from the Boston Wine Expo. Note the usual caveats about speed-tasting in boisterous environments, where mistakes are rampant and palate fatigue is a factor. These are brief impressions, not full examinations; the phraseology reflects these conditions.

Part 11: New Zealand & Australia

Wairau River 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – Chile and grass. Old-style, and not in a good way. (2/08)

Small & Smith “Fairhall Downs” 2007 Sauvignon Blanc “Single Vineyard” (Marlborough) – Notice they don’t actually name the vineyard. Grapefruit with a tinge of red. Full-bodied and dry-tasting, though it carries 3.1 grams of residual sugar. Nicely executed. (2/08)

Vavasour 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley (Marlborough) – Gooseberry and chalk. Dry and intense. Very, very good. (2/08)

Brancott 2005 Gewürztraminer Patutahi (Gisborne) – Vibrant fruit, flowers, spice, peach, and nuts, with a dry finish. It’s a little lighter than I’d like; gewürz of this intensity should have a little more heft. (2/08)

Two Paddocks 2006 “Picnic” Pinot Noir (Central Otago) – Clean, with good earthiness, stones, and soil underlying dark plums. Simple (as is it’s intent), and good. (2/08)

Staete Landt 2005 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) – Green and pink, with spiky acidity. Other than the brief foray into blended peppercorns, however, this is an absent wine. (2/08)

Mahi 2006 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) – Sweet earth, orange and golden beets, and a lot of – perhaps too much – structure. It’s a bit hard. (2/08)

Amisfield 2006 Pinot Noir (Central Otago) – Hard, tannic, and no good. (2/08)

Swan “Mad House” 2006 Pinot Noir Clearview (Bendigo) – Finally, we get a wine carrying the appellation of the ocean of vineyards that make up the Central Otago’s “secret” supply. It’s structured and mineralistic, but lacks generosity. (2/08)

Te Awa 2004 “Boundary” (Hawke’s Bay) – Blueberry soup with caramelization, yet oddly the dominant feature on the finish is the underripeness. There’s good structure despite the stew, but the wine is over-concentrated, gelatinous, and far too sticky. (2/08)

Penfolds 2004 “RWT” Shiraz (Barossa Valley) – Smoky blueberry, blackberry, and chocolate. Dense and clumsy, stumbling through a long but unbelievably dull finish. Bottled boredom. (2/08)