By Sue Davies and Raymond
Chan
Sileni Estates is named after the Sileni vintage
deity who featured in Roman mythology alongside Bacchus, the god of wine. They
celebrated good wine, good food and good company which is very much the
philosophy of this winery. Sileni has
not only been focused on good wine but have been the prime mover of the
‘Farmers Market’ in the Hawke’s Bay region, which of course brings together
good company to enjoy the fruits of these efforts. Also if you are in the Hawke’s Bay region
their cheese larder is well worth the visit!
Pre-Taster
The initial wine
served was the Sileni ‘The Don’
Riesling 2007 (18.0/20). 11.5% alc,
and 5.4 g/l rs. This Riesling received
its name from Hawke’s Bay wine grower Don Brown, affectionately nicknamed by
the Sileni team ‘The Don’ which reflected his noble and authoritative
stature. Don has been a long-time
supporter of Regional Wines. The wine
had limes and florals with lovely toasty notes on bouquet. The palate had a richness to the mouthfeel
with the limey character running through to a dry clean finish. This was a concentrated style with an
attractive minerally backbone. A lovely
vibrant wine that could be enjoyed now, but reward further cellaring.
Flight One: Sauvignon Blanc
For a winery
that was determined to be known for its Bordeaux
style reds with a strong emphasis on the Merlot variety, Sileni has now
succumbed to the overwhelming international demand for New Zealand Sauvignon
Blanc. Sileni’s production of Sauvignon
Blanc is now 60% of the total output, but with a strong export market for the
wine, very little is sold in New Zealand. Winemaker Grant Edmonds showed three styles
of Sauvignon Blanc. The Sileni Benchmark Block Two ‘Omaka Slopes’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (16.0/20) 13.5% alc
and 4.5 g/l rs was made from two north-facing vineyards, naturally with sloping
sites. The concept of the ‘benchmark
wines’ it that they should be a ‘benchmark’ for different styles of Sauvignon
Blanc. This wine showed the grassy,
herbal style that Marlborough is known
for. The palate continued the herbal
note with gooseberry and a definite minerally note. Good length of white stone fruit flavours,
cleanly expressed and good acidity.
The Sileni Benchmark Block Three
‘Thirteen Rows’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (17.0/20) 12.5% alc and
5.6 g/l rs came from 13 rows off Old Renwick Road that consistently look
different from the rest of the vineyard due to a band of shingle that runs
through the site. This was a classic Wairau Valley Marlborough wine with a more
tropical fruit and more apparent weight than the previous wine. The mouthfeel was rich, with tropical, wet
stone and mineral flavours in an attractive and elegant, dry style. The Sileni
‘The Cape’ Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (18.5/20)
13.9% alc and 2.77 g/l rs, was picked ripe and sat on gross lees for two months
to add palate weight. It showed the
warmer climate of Hawke’s Bay having white peach, stonefruit and spicy pears on
the nose which developed on the palate in a delightfully juicy and luscious,
but still very elegant style. It
had plenty of depth and flavours in a
most approachable style.
Flight Two: The Aromatic Reds
Again, due to
marketing demands, Sileni has ended up producing Pinot Noir as part of its
portfolio. Begrudgingly and luckily,
Grant Edmonds has the services of Pinot Noir ‘geeks’ in his winemaking team
with a real passion for the variety! The
Sileni ‘Grand Central’ Central Otago
Pinot Noir 2007 (17.0/20) 14% alc, was sourced from Central Otago fruit
from different soil profiles and the wine aged 10 months in barriques. The Pinot Noir vineyard in Hawke’s Bay had
been affected by the frost reducing the crop which resulted in Sileni looking
outside of the Hawke’s Bay region for alternatives to meet their market
demands. The wine had an attractive red/black
cherry aroma with thyme and a slight carbonic maceration nose. Grant surmises this could have been caused by
the picking of the fruit at 2 am in the morning and then being trucked up to Marlborough for processing. This Pinot Noir and the following Hawke’s Bay
Pinot Noir were otherwise treated identically.
The colour of Central Otago wine was
deeper and the wine had a vibrancy to its red fruit expression. The Sileni
‘The Plateau’ Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2007 (18.0/20), 14.0% alc was also
aged 10 months in barriques. It was fragrant
and floral, with black cherry and red liquorice aromas. The wine was a riper style with softer
acidity than the previous wine. A clean,
fruit-driven style of wine. The
‘Plateau’ vineyard is a cooler, higher altitude, inland site with protection
from the winds by the Ruahine range.
Hawke’s Bay has been successful with the Syrah variety for over a
decade, but it is only now the rest of the country is discovering this! The Sileni
‘The Peak’ Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2007 (17.5/20), 13% alc, given 13 months
barrel maturation is the first ‘Estate’ expression of the variety from
Sileni. It possessed an attractively
fragrant, floral nose with a dash of black pepper. The palate was blackberry, smooth and elegant
with a nice finesse running through the wine in a attractive ripe and juicy
way. Fine tannins, smooth to drink but
would improve over the next few years in the cellar. More Mediterranean in style than northern Rhone.
Flight Three: ‘The Lodge’ Chardonnay 2005 - 2007
The ‘Lodge’ is a
prestige dwelling situated on the Sileni’s vineyard in the Hawke’s Bay which
has a slightly higher altitude than the ‘Triangle’ site and is regarded as a
cool one. Winemaking was similar for all
three wines presented. Hand-picking,
WBP, 100% MLF and 9-10 months oak maturation on lees. The Sileni
‘The Lodge’ Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2005 (17.5/20), 13.5% alc, was a