Clos du Mont-Olivet - Montueil la Levade (2007) - 18.5/20

I'm a big Rhone fan - and of course Chateauneuf-du-pape is a wonderful appellation, but the prices on CNdP are rocketing up, and I'm always on the lookout for a more budget concious alternative that still delivers the taste.

This Cotes du Rhone wine may be it. 

80% old vines Grenache, 5% Syrah, 15% Carignan
Alcohol : 14.0%
My Rating : 18.5/20 - Four and a half stars.

This wine has a rich, licorice, fruity, spicy flavour, and wonderful deep purple hue, and a very complex nose offering hints of citrus, lavender and of course wonderful rich red fruit.

It's 80% grenache, but all "Vieilles Vignes" giving a depth and complexity that only comes from advancing ages, with the grenache planting having an average of 40 years in the terroir.

Surprisingly this wine is 100% tank aged and fermented and to have all this spice without foudre wood barrel aging says volumes about the quality of the fruit from 2007 - a fantastic vintage for Southern Rhone.

Produced by Clos Du Mont-Olivet and obviously a second tier wine behind their CNdP range, this Cotes du Rhone is imported into New Zealand by John of Truffle Imports of Wellington (he does mail order), and it is retailing for around NZ$35 a bottle.

Frankly it has a taste and intensity that puts many weaker CNdP producers to shame and this wine is a fantastically priced alternative to Chateauneuf du Pape. Get it while it lasts.

Te Mata Coleraine (1997) - 19.5/20

Let's start this wine blog with a real star - over the last two nights I've enjoyed a bottle of Te Mata's premium wine - the 1997 vintage of Coleraine.

55% Cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 15% cabernet franc

Alcohol : 13.0%

My Rating : 19.5 / 20 - Five Stars

I've been a fan of Hawkes Bay reds for a while now, and the Te Mata vineyard in particular, but truth to be told I've usually found the Coleraine just a little bit too "big" and not to my taste - instead prefering the little brother "Awatea".

This bottle of 1997 Coleraine has changed my mind.

I wanted something to enjoy with a nice rack of lamb, and the Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot blends of Hawkes Bay came quickly to mind. A quick check of the Te Mata wine vintage chart on their website showed that the 1997 Coleraine and Awatea were at their peak, and as I have a few bottles of the 1997 Coleraine stashed away I broke one out.

Previously, I've found that Coleraine is a little too overpowering, and despite the rave reviews that this wine often gets from mainstream wine journalists, I've personally found the individual elements on the palette are usually far from merged and quite astringent.

But, always prepared to give a wine a fair trial, especially if I've already stumped up for a dozen bottles, I took the website at it's word and popped the cork and decanted, via an aerator. The smell was instantly attractive, a merge of wine, oak, and a faint hint of the musty smells of the cellar.

This vintage is perfect, a wonderful blend of three classic grapes, and right now I would say that it's a match for the best of it's style and would hold up against the best of Bordeaux. The 1997 Coleraine is a perfect wine with lamb, and most roast meat.

The 2008 Coleraine is available from Te Mata Vineyards now (at NZ$69 per bottle) and it's a very similar makeup of grapes and has been very well praised by those in the know, and the 2008 could be a real treat in 10-11 years time if you can wait that long. It will be worth the wait !