Ollie Powrie has some new wines, building on his excellent start from the previous vintages I’d tasted in September ‘23 – see here > https://winefolio.co.nz/?p=9279
Lulu Rosé 2023 is a blend of approx 60% Cabernet Franc and then three Italian varieties – Sangiovese, Marzemino and Teroldego. A pale copper pink colour, with a perfume to match. Look for blood orange notes amongst the crisp red berries and stonefruit. A hint of toast and nuts from the barrel sit amongst the prickle of phenolics adding complexity to the palate. Soon to be superceded by the next vintage, this bottle is now generously textured and balanced. The finish is dry and peppery.
Ollie’s next Chardonnay is also now in bottle – Chardonnay Lyon’s Vineyard 2023. Having bought two new barrels, this vintage benefits from quite a golden glow of vanilla, baking spice and toasted baguette. The fruit is going to gobble up that oak in time, but for now it is a bold statement – let’s call it ‘old school’. It’s also quite tightly structured for now – just bottled ten weeks ago -, but a sleek acidity shines a spotlight on the bright flavours of citrus and stonefruit. A line of minerality and lees influence emerges in the mid-palate, before a confident, rounded finish.
Ollie was so pleased with the Cabernet Sauvignon fruit from the well-known Cornerstone Vineyard, in Hawke’s Bay this time that he eventually decided it was worth making three variations of the wine. Last vintage this was my favourite offering from Chateau Garage. His brother Hugo helped Ollie out with that 2021 wine, and he gets a bottling named after himself this time. I said to Ollie – if you’re going to name a wine after a family member, it has to be good!
Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is made from the first, free-run section of the juice. A nose of pure Cabernet varietal – blackcurrant, provence herbs, black cherry, plum and a touch of bitter chocolate. The tannin is quite dusty – another typicity, but this time from the region – Hawke’s Bay Cabernet often referred to as having this character. I like it though, and the fine tannin has a little pinch to it, that adds a contrast to the gloss of the fruit. Dry, youthful and firmly concentrated.
Cornerstone Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 fits nicely into the signature of Ollie’s wines. I see a similarity to that 2021 expression that got a 95/100 score from me. As a fan of ‘pre-Parker’ clarets, there is a lightness of touch, and power without too much weight, that appeals. Tannin here is supple and balanced with the lively acidity. Just a nibble of savoury flavour at this time, with graphite and dark peppery spices whispering at the edges.
The last version comes in a bottle who’s size and weight would give Jancis a heart attack. Ollie does qualify the use of it by saying that it was a set of ‘rescue bottles’ that he took from another, abandoned project – so a good bit of recycling as it were. Amphora Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 sees the same set of grapes from the other two projects, this time destemmed and put into an amphora vessel. Plunged and then sealed up for 150n days before pressing into barrel. This has an all-roundness and soft generosity through the palate. A seamless harmony of fruit, tannin, and a multitude of other elements in layers of complexity and flavour. Texture here is also a key component, with a silky cocoon in place. For a new wine this has great poise.
