Tasting Notes: Whites from Alana Estate, Martin borough, North Island; 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 Wo
The 2011 Alana Estate Sauvignon Blanc has a lifted nose, with aromas of basil and lime. It has a lingering palate and immense mouthfeel. The spicy finish never robs a bit of the ripe fruit and that makes the wine tastes lower than 12%! While this wine has passed its peak, it is still fruity and worths every cent spent.The grapes are hand harvested and then hand sorted on our sorting table. Parcels are then whole bunch pressed or crushed. 8% of the juice is directly fed to old puncheons where they carry out a wild fermentation with the balance being settled, racked and fermented at cold temperatures in stainless steel tanks. Original $220 per bottle; now $590 case of 6 inclusive of delivery within Hong Kong and Kowloon.
For 2011 Alana Estate Chardonnay, an initial fruit selection is made at the vines by the picking team. The grapes are harvested into bins and then passed over our sort table to ensure a perfect selection. The grapes are then whole bunch pressed and the juice is cold settled for 24 hours. It is then transferred via gravity to French Puncheons and fermented at warm temperatures to maximise body and structure. The wine on the lees for 9 months with lees stirring twice a month, a 50% malo-lactic fermentation further increases the roundness and softens the natural acidity of the wine. Its then racked directly from barrel and prepared for bottling. The wine was cross-flow filtered and bottled on site. So the 2011 with another year in bottle ageing shows more complexities and tastes convincingly as a mid- range Burgundy from Beaune. Original $250 per bottle; now $690 case of 6 inclusive of delivery within Hong Kong and Kowloon.
The 2011 Alana Estate Riesling is delicate with bright honeysuckle aromas and notes of orange zest on the palate giving the wine a delicate acid sugar balance. What more is the exceptional keronsenic character as well as the intial sparkle of off-dryness that ride consistently towards a Germanic tradition. In the style of Chardonnay, an initial fruit selection is made by the hand picking team to ensure the finest quality fruit. The grapes are harvested into bins and then passed over the sorting table. After being destemmed, gravity is then used to transfer into the press. The juice is cooled and mixed on solids for 48 hours before being settled and racked. The fermentation takes place at extremely cold temperatures to aid in the extraction of aromas. This wine is aged in stainless steel. The wine is then cross flow filtered and bottled on site. Low ABV as 11.5%, this wine is strong though. Original $280 per bottle; now $790 case of 6 inclusive of delivery within Hong Kong and Kowloon.
