As mentioned in the previous review of the Misha’s Vineyard Gewurztraminer, this new label from Central Otago is an accomplished range from a switched-on producer. With vineyards in the well regarded sub-region of Bendigo, and a talented crew on board, it will be interesting to see how the label progresses.
Misha’s Vineyard
2009 Limelight Riesling Central Otago $26.00 17.0
2009 Dress Circle Pinot Gris Central Otago $27.00 17.0
2009 The Gallery Gewurztraminer Central Otago $28.00 18.0
2008 The High Note Pinot Noir Central Otago $45.00 17.5
The 2009 Misha’s Vineyard Limelight Riesling has a pretty floral nose with lime/orange blossom, slightly chalky sherbet notes and a surprisingly weighty palate. Crisp acidity gives a nice limey edge and a flinty minerality adds a bit of complexity to the fresh youthfulness.
The 2009 Misha’s Vineyard Dress Circle Pinot Gris sits firmly into the bold and spicy camp and has plenty of fruit sweetness though with only 5g/L residual sugar it is on the dryish side. Lots of stonefruit and ripe citrus notes (grapefruit, mandarin, candied limes) with crisp acidity and a nice pithy finish. Good balance, though the 14.8% alcohol contributes a slight headiness to the finish, and nice length.
Completing a trio of aromatics is the 2009 Misha’s Vineyard The Gallery Gewurztraminer with its spicy Turkish Delight and floral notes, a palate that combines oily weight with balanced acidity and a lovely savoury dry finish.
Misha’s Vineyard has engaged the talented Olly Masters as their winemaker and his skilled hand is apparent in the 2008 Misha’s Vineyard ‘The High Note’ Pinot Noir combines the exuberantly bold and spicy nose laced with sweet dark cherry and ripe black and red berry fruit one has come to expect from Central Otago with a more savoury dense undercurrent of his former stomping ground of Martinborough. This sappy savoury character is also predominant on the palate alongside dark berryfruit, anise and liquorice and gives denseness and at this stage a certain tightness to the wine. This is nice as it adds a more serious feel than the often superficially attractive but in time cloying character of Central pinot. There is just a touch of heat to the finish (14.2%) which a bit of a pity but perhaps might not bother some.
(Emma Jenkins, Independent Wine Monthly, January 2010)
http://www.independentwinemonthly.co.nz/10-02-28_iwm_january_2010