1970 Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou,St Julien
1970 Ch Lascombes,Margaux
1970 Ch Latour,Pauillac
1970 Ch Leoville-Las-Cases,St Julien
1970 Ch Margaux,Margaux
1970 Ch Pape-Clement,Graves
1970 Ch Rausan-Segla,Margaux
1970 Ch St-Pierre,St Julien
1970 Ch Talbot,St Julien
1970 Chambertin (magnum - Lichine)
1970 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon(Hawke’s Bay)
1970 Tahbilk Cabernet (Victoria, the standard wine)
Reserve wine (bit out of style) 1970 Penfolds Cabernet/Shiraz Bin 389

We have followed the progress of the Chapoutier wines since Michel Chapoutier took over the reins of the family business, for over two decades, and seen the label become one of the most prestigious in the Rhone and in the world. This tasting of the 2006 vintage ‘Selections Parcellaires’, the luxury single vineyard wines will be a special one for a number of reasons. Firstly, the white Marsanne wines from this vintage are possibly the best ever produced by Michel. Secondly, it appears the 2006 Chapoutier wines in general are unexpectedly better than the 2007s, against the trend in the Rhone Valley. Also, due to the increased world-wide demand and pricing of the wines, plus the economic situation in the world, Regional Wines has decided not to take any of the 2007 Chapoutier ‘Selections Parcellaires’. 2008 was a very difficult vintage in the Rhone, so it may be at least two years before we see this range of Chapoutier wines in New Zealand again.

We will taste four Marsanne white Rhone wines: the St Joseph Blanc ‘Granits’ and Ermitage Blancs from ‘Meal’, ‘L’Oree’ and ‘Ermite’. Then the two top Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines ‘Croix de Bois’ and ‘Barbe Rac’, both wholly made from Grenache. The range of Syrah expression will be explored with the Crozes-Hermitage ‘Varonniers’, St Joseph ‘Granits’ and the fabulous Cote-Rotie ‘Mordoree’. The feature of the tasting may be the four Ermitage Rouge wines: ‘Greffieux’, ‘Meal’, ‘Pavillon’ and ‘Ermite’. These last four wines have all scored in the high 90s by Robert Parker, and retail at around $300.00 per bottle, so it is easy to see that the tasting offers real value.

Twenty five years ago, few people took Central Otago seriously as a wine producing region. “It’s too cold; grapes won’t ripen; the wines will be too acidic; it’s too far from the wine drinking public” were warning words. Nowadays, with over 1,500 hectares of vines, Central Otago is the fifth largest vignoble in the country, with around 5% of the total plantings. There are just on 100 licensed wine producers and three quarters that number of registered grape growers. The region makes some of the most exciting Pinot Noirs in the country, with Riesling, Pinot Gris and the other aromatics performing exceptionally well too. Distinctive sub-regions are emerging and one can certainly taste the difference between wines from Alexandra, Bannockburn, Bendigo, Gibbston, Lowburn and Wanaka. The wines of Central Otago are unique and different from anywhere else, and pleasingly so.

Twenty Central Otago producers are coming to Wellington for their annual showcase. Among them are some of the most-established and well-known, along with exciting, brand new labels. Over 80 wines can be tasted from Archangel, Black Quail Estate, Carrick, Chard Farm, Coal Pit, Desert Heart, Domain Road, George Town, Grasshopper Rock, Greylands Ridge, Locharburn, Mt Difficulty, Nevis Bluff, Northburn Station, Olssens, Prophet’s Rock, Surveyor Thomson, Three Miners, Two Paddocks, Wild Earth and Wooing Tree.

This will be a fabulous opportunity of tasting a marvellous array of Central Otago wines and meet many of the leading wine producers from the ‘deep South’. With this large number of wines available for tasting, we recommend you obtain your tickets from Ticketek as soon as possible and arrive early to give yourself the fullest time to look at the wines. Otherwise you’ll need to be very selective in what you want to taste!

A shuttle service co-ordinating with Tranz Metro train services will enable responsible travel options. There will be no gate sales this year, as organisers see the 2000 capacity crowd being fulfilled by bookings. For more information, go to www.wairarapawines.co.nz or contact the event manager Liz Pollock on Tel: 027 477-4717 or email: festival@wairarapawines.co.nz

The vin clairs to be presented are two Chardonnay, from Avize and Cramant in the Cotes des Blancs and two Pinot Noirs, from Verzenay and Bouzy, from the northern and southern sides of the Montagne de Reims, these all from the 2009 vintage. Didier will also bring an aged reserve wine, an Avize Chardonnay from the 2004 vintage as well as samples of the fully assembled and blended Mumm ‘Cordon Rouge’ cuvee from the 2007 vintage as before secondary fermentation. After tasting these component wines, Didier will lead us through the Mumm Champagne range available in New Zealand to see how the individual components relate to the finished wines. The Mumm ‘Cordon Rouge’NV, Brut Rosé NV, rare ‘Mumm de Cramant’ and Vintage 1999 wines will be served.

Due to the special nature of this tasting, we expect places to fill quickly.

We welcome Jacopo Pandolfini, the Asia-Pacific Sales Manager for Antinori to Regional Wines for this special tasting of a range of Antinori wines from Tuscany and Umbria that show the exceptional and diverse nature of top quality Italian wine from these exciting winegrowing regions. We will taste the ‘Campogrande’ Orvieto 2008 and ‘Bramito’ Chardonnay 2007 in whites. Then a range of Chianti-based Sangiovese wines, the ‘Santa Cristina’ IGT 2008, ‘Peppoli’ Chianti Classico 2007 and ‘Tenuta Marchesi’ Chianti Classico Riserva 2005, which show the heart of Tuscany. The specialist regions of Tuscany are explored with the Braccesca ‘Sabazio’ Rosso de Montepulciano 2008 and Braccesca Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2005, plus the ‘Pian della Vigne’ Brunello di Montalcino 2004. Antinori was the originator of the ‘Super-Tuscan’ breed with the evolution of their single vineyard Chianti Classico Riserva at the start of the 1970s by way of inclusion of non-authorised varieties and barrique maturation in creating the legendary ‘Tignanello’. We taste the ‘Tignanello’ 2006, a blend of 85% Sangiovese with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc plus the super-premium, highly sought-after ‘Solaia’ 2006, which is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Franc and 20% Sangiovese. This retails at over $600.00 per bottle, and it will be worth coming to taste this wine alone! We urge you to book soon as places will fill up quickly.

Join Master of Wine, Bob Campbell, for a whirlwind tour of the major French wine regions during an instructive and entertaining two-and-a-half hours at Regional Wines. Bob will explain the intricacies and structure of the French industry and labeling, and introduce you to the wines of Champagne, Alsace, Burgundy, the Loire Valley, the Rhone Valley, Bordeaux, Languedoc-Rousillon and Provence. Typical examples from each region will be tasted – over one dozen wines in all. Everyone attending will receive a 46-page book with detailed notes, which can serve as a useful reference, as well as a certificate. This is an ideal opportunity to obtain an excellent foundation in, and overview of French wines. If you are planning a vinous-inspired trip to France soon, attending the course will be essential!