The Coniglio, Morton Estate's premium Chardonnay, was awarded the Regional New Zealand Chardonnay Trophy in the "Over £10" class at the 2005 Decanter World Wine Awards, one of the world’s top wine competitions. It also received ***** out of five from Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines 2006.
Tasting note: Very good nose, oaky but pure and concentrated. Rich fresh palate, toasty oak but with acidity balance. Very complex. Excellent. Delicious. Touch hot. (Judging panel, Decanter World Wine Awards 2005)
Tasting note: (Renamed from 'Cornerstone'.) From Firgove, Stellenbosch 'coffee stone' (decomposed granite). 2003 shows admirable concentration, cassis/blackberries, liquorice spice, smoky depths. Serious oaking evident as steely backbone, cloaked by lush fruit. An infant, 10 year development ahead. Score - **** (out of 5).(Christine Rudman, John Platter South African Wines 2006)
Argentina Red Wine - May 2007
NICOLÁS CATENA ZAPATA 2002
Mendoza
662072 (XD) 750 mL $ 79
Tasting note: An impressive, modern-style wine, with well-defined layers of loam, raspberry, black currant, tobacco, mineral and grilled herb. Powerful, but long and elegant, with the toast content to sit in the background. Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2011. Score - 93. (James Molesworth, www.winespectator.com, Nov. 30, 2006)
The three Cs in Triple C are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Carmenère. In 2002, Pierre Rovani, at www.erobertparker.com, commented that "the progress made at Vina Santa Rita over the past few vintages has been truly impressive". At that time, the Triple C 1999 vintage had just hit the market. The subsequent vintages have all garnered enthusiastic responses from the critics and the consumers. Expect more of the same from the just-released 2004.
