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Mt. Beautiful Wines, New Zealand - September 2018

Somms’ journey sparks new thinking about New Zealand wines

  • Published in Blog

The Boston Globe,The Boston Globe, Ellen Bhang 

"Leave it to a duo of Boston sommeliers to broaden notions about New Zealand wine.

Earlier this year, Nick Daddona, beverage director of Boston Urban Hospitality (which includes Deuxave, dbar, and Boston Chops) and Lauren C. Daddona, wine director of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in the Back Bay, toured some of the Southern Hemisphere’s most breathtaking vineyards. The two are among the most respected wine professionals in town, and also happen to be husband and wife. New Zealand Winegrowers, the national trade association, organized the two-week trip, flying an international contingent of somms and writers to major wine regions up and down the North Island and South Island.

The Daddonas were keen on exploring wines that have little presence in Massachusetts. “I thought we were seeing a fairly skewed offering here in the States,” says Lauren Daddona, noting that sauvignon blanc — New Zealand’s most exported style — dominates the market. But Kiwi producers craft excellent wine beyond that white grape. “They’re not afraid to experiment and have no problem with innovation,” says Nick Daddona. Tasting an assortment of terroir-driven varietals, he says, “was like finding little points of genius.”

Back in Boston, the couple hosted a tasting that provided a glimpse into that range. A Martinborough pinot noir offered textured red fruit and scents of cedar. A syrah from Hawke’s Bay expressed dried fruit along with savory notes of jerky and black olive. Central Otago’s pinot gris and riesling were vivid and lively. Bottles like these can be had at both of the sommeliers’ restaurants, but what about retail?

The search proved challenging. Shop shelves were crowded with the grassy-grapefruity style of sauvignon blanc, but often little else. Sleuthing pointed to different varietal expressions in the market, but many — especially in the $30-and-under range — were out of stock or otherwise unavailable.

So what a pleasure to locate three in good supply: an exuberant pinot noir, a gutsy rosé, and a wild yeast-fermented sauvignon blanc, none of which are the usual suspects. Each serves as a reminder to ask your neighborhood shop for more variety from this corner of the globe.

“The world is ready to accept the diversity of what they make,” enthuses Lauren Daddona. “These wines really overdeliver.”

Our 2016 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir was selected as one of three wines featured in this article: 

"Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir 2016 Owner David Teece named his estate for the peak that protects vineyards from coastal winds of North Canterbury. This red is full of cherry-berry notes, an edge of appetizing bitterness, and subtle tannins. $25 to $30." 

Read the article here at the Boston Globe online. 

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Fall Rose Wine Picks - Liquid Assets for Boaters

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Food Wine Travel Chix, Linda Kissam

"Rosés are the darlings of warm fall weather and the boating life … and for good reason. They pair well with pretty much any food you might have on board …from hot dogs to shrimp. Throw in an avocado or two and you have pure heaven.

Rosés can be made into various cocktails too. If you go down that road, I suggest making rosé ice cubes and pouring club soda over them. Trust me, it’s an easy-to-make crowd pleaser.

Each boating year I do a couple of different tastings. This year it was ciders and Rosés. My husband and I were on an 8 week cruise in our 42’ Grand Banks gliding over the Canadian coastal waters. Food storage – fresh and canned – is at a premium. Space for adult beverages are also tough to find, so what we bring aboard needs to be top notch without breaking the budget. We’ve found storing our wines deep under the floor boards in the aft cabin keep the wines cool and ready to serve. Our pairings are simple and boat focused. The best is when we can catch fresh fish.

Mt Beautiful 2017 Beautiful Rosé – (About $15) – A dry, crisp blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Gris. Salmon pink color with some floral notes and sweet red berry aromas on the nose. Love the taste of white peach and pink grapefruit. Smooth texture and acid friendly. This is a medium bodied wine with a significant finish. Pair with a charcuterie board."

Read the article here.  

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Beautiful Wines from New Zealand’s Mt. Beautiful Winery

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Beautiful Wines from New Zealand’s Mt. Beautiful Winery

By Linda Milks

"Exploring wines from different regions of the world opens our taste buds to the nuances of grapes grown in different soils and different climates.

The Wine Review Council, a group of wine lovers reviewed wines grown on the South Island of New Zealand (about an hour and half north of Christchurch.) This is the area where Mt. Beautiful stands regally over the vineyards and protects the grapes from the ocean winds. The Mt. Beautiful Vineyard is comprised of 23 different soil types in this small area, plus an array of micro climates.

Eight of us were assigned a different wine and asked to bring a food pairing for our wine. Sometimes this can be difficult since we have not tasted the wine, and wines can surprise us with some unique and interesting variances.

The 2017 Mt. Beautiful Sauvignon Blanc ($15.99) was one of those surprises, but it was a pleasant surprise. Generally, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs have a distinct grassiness to them. However, this Sauvignon Blanc explodes with flavors of tropical fruits of pineapple and mango. The pairing chosen for this wine was a Smoked Salmon Dill Cream Cheese Spread. While we liked it, we preferred the Le Delice de Bourgogne triple crème cheese with the wine.

tomato ricotta tart

A beautiful seasonal Tomato Ricotta Tart accompanied the 2017 Mt. Beautiful Rosé ($15.99) with flavors of stone fruit, watermelon, and strawberries. The wine was dry and a beautiful color of pink and a red rose tinge. This is a Rosé blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Gris. We determined the wine is not a patio-sipping Rosé but rather one that needs to be paired with food.

thai spring rolls

Because Chardonnays are bigger whites, the pairing for the 2016 Mt. Beautiful Chardonnay ($21.99) was Thai Spring Rolls of Shrimp and Pork. The Chardonnay, though velvety, jostled your taste buds with flavors of stone fruits, apple, and almonds. The finish was full of minerality. For fun, we sampled the triple crème cheese with the Chardonnay and found a bitter finish which shows that a wrong pairing can change the taste of the wine. We liked the Spring Rolls as a pairing.

A twist on your traditional quiche was the Duck Egg Quiche with Ham and Grapes that was paired with the 2016 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir ($27.99.) The Pinot Noir provided fragrances of violet and black cherries on the nose. Silky and sophisticated would be a good description of this Pinot with a juiciness of blackberries and cherries. An earthiness could be found in this wine which was grown in the highest elevation in the vineyard. We found the fresh Chinook salmon was an excellent pairing for the 2016 Pinot Noir. This wine was chosen as the favorite of our group.

fresh peach upside dxcown cake

The final Mt. Beautiful wine of the day was the Mt. Beautiful Winery Riesling ($21.99) and was paired with a Fresh Peach Upside-Down Cake. The first sniff of the wine gave off a slight petrol nose which is often a Riesling characteristic, especially when grown with more heat and sunlight. Key lime and apple flavors greet the palate of this off-dry Riesling with a lingering acidic finish. The Thai Spring Rolls paired beautifully with this 2016 Riesling.

Both Wine.com and Total Wine & More (in some areas) carry Mt. Beautiful wines. You can also buy them online through Mt. Beautiful Winery and Vineyards.

Author’s Note: As is customary in this industry, the Wine Review Council was provided with these wines to review."

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The Hedonistic Taster: Mt. Beautiful Winery

  • Published in Blog

The Hedonistic Taster, L.M. Archer

"As a wine writer, It’s rare to desire every wine sampled in a tasting line-up. Yet each Mt. Beautiful Winery wine here elicits a hankering for more. Hats off to Mt. Beautiful winemaker Sam Weaver, a quiet leader in New Zealand’s Sustainable Winegrawing program, whom I first met at IPNC some years ago. Mt. Beautiful Winery proprietor David Teece have spared no expense, both in the vineyard and the cellar, to produce truly original, premium wines. This year marks Mt. Beautiful’s tenth vintage anniversary making wines in one of the world’s most hardscrabble locations. Good on them – here’s to more!

Wine: Mt. Beautiful Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2017
Alcohol: 13%
Robe: Clear lemon hue.
Nose: Cut grass, gooseberry, lime blossom, saline aromas.
Bouche: Lime zest, grapefruit, pineapple bouche; light-medium body, bright acids.
Quintessential New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc squared – gorgeous, pristine fruit + quality wine making.

Wine: Mt. Beautiful Riesling
Vintage: 2016
Alcohol: 11.3%
Robe: Pale lemon hue with tiny, iridescent green flecks.
Nose: Petrol, burnt rubber, citrus aromas.
Bouche: Medium body, off-dry, citrus bouche.
Solid, quality Riesling. Go ahead, Somms + wine geeks – you want this wine.

Wine: Mt. Beautiful Chardonnay
Vintage: 2016
Alcohol: 13.5 %
Robe: Pale lemon robe.
Nose: White flowers, stone fruit, citrus aromas.
Bouche: Golden apple, white nectarine, mineral backnote bouche; light-medium body, nervy acids, clean finish.
Smitten. Best non-oak bomb New World Chardonnay yet. More, please.

Wine: Mt. Beautiful Rosé
Vintage: 2017
Alcohol: 13%
Robe: Gorgeous burnt apricot hue.
Nose: Lychee, white ginger, baking spice aromas.
Bouche: White peach, nectarine, nutmeg bouche; medium body, bright acids. You had me at ‘gorgeous burnt apricot robe.’
Alluring, intoxicating, haunting, “must have more” rosé. This wine just ain’t pretty – it’s got brains, too – which is why it ranks among my Top Five Fave Rosés for 2018.

Wine: Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2016
Alcohol: 13.5%
Robe: Deep ruby robe.
Nose: Smokey, dark cherry, violet, bramble aromas.
Bouche: Blackberry, black cherry, red fruit bouche; light-medium body, artfully balanced acids and tannins, lingering finish.

Seamlessly constructed, exceptional quality Pinot Noir at a ridiculously accessible price point. No brainer, Pinotphiles. Buy. Drink. Repeat."

Read the whole article Hedonistic Taster

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Let’s Talk Wine: Slide into Pinot Noir this summer

  • Published in Blog

Fosters.com JoAnn Actis-Grande

"August 18 is National Pinot Noir Day and a great reason to enjoy a glass or two. Choosing the right wine is very important. Pinot Noir wines are easy to drink and an excellent choice which can take you through your entire meal any time of year – from sipping alone to eating appetizers, entrees and dessert.

It wasn’t that long ago when I watched the movie Sideways on a return flight from a wine tasting tour to Greece through the Peloponnese and the Island of Paros. The movie released in 2004 was based on a story of two men chasing the best pinot noir in central California, having an incredible impact on its sales. At that time, Greek wines were starting to become popular here on the Seacoast, while at the same time pinot noir was becoming as desirable as the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, with its sensual characteristics.

Long before the movie, oenophiles already knew pinot noir was one of the most-sought after wines. Some of the finest French Champagne and Sparkling wines are made from the pinot noir grape. Pinot Noir is referred as “the sensual wine” with a soft, silky, and velvety texture. The wine radiates a luminous garnet color; a rich medium-bodied wine that’s not heavy. Aromas and flavors can be found as diverse as cherry, strawberry, plum, cedar, vanilla and chocolate. Some pinot noir wines can be high in alcohol but they are not acidic or tannic making them great choices to accompany all types of food, any time of year.

Pinot Noir is fragile and hard to grow. The grape thrives in cooler climates, especially those with foggy mornings, warm sunny days and crisp nights. The terroir has a strong influence on the wines characteristics. Burgundy, France and the United States – predominantly in the West – produce excellent Pinot Noir, both with distinct styles and pricing. In the past decade, California (Santa Ynez, Sonoma Coast, Russian River, and Anderson Valley) Oregon (Willamette Valley) and New Zealand (Central Otago, North Canterbury) Pinots show an increased sophistication. Some other countries producing fine Pinot Noir are Australia, Canada, Greece, Italy and South Africa."

JoAnn selected our 2016 Pinot Noir as one of herr six favorite picks:

"Produced in the northern part of New Zealand’s south Island. Bright raspberry and bing cherry notes are enhanced by a lively, spicy element and refreshing acidity."

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"Beautiful Summer Wines" - Pacific Northwest Tourist

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Beautiful Summer Wines  |  Mt Beautiful Summer WinesMt Beautiful Summer Wines
Linda Kissam, Pacific Northwest Tourist 

Linda Kissam boating

Each summer as my husband and I take out our 42’ Grand Banks for an 8-10 week cruise I choose some special wines to bring along to review and do some sea-going food pairing. This year we traveled around the beautiful San Juan Islands and Canadian Broughtons area with two other couples each with their own boats. Heron, Cowabunga and Jubilant rafting

As a wine writer, I have access to some of the best wines possible to take along. My in box is full of opportunities to take advantage of wine samples. I choose to take along Mt. Beautiful wines this trip. I am glad I did. The wines are varietal specific with that wonderful New Zealand terroir popping its head up in each sip. They pair easily with many different foods. The price is right. They perfectly match a beautiful summer.

So let’s raise a glass to summer boating and the warm weather with one of these delicious budget-friendly bottles from Mt. Beautiful wines—each under $25. I think you’ll find the food pairings interesting. They reflect the meals we plan each day aboard our boat, especially the lucky days we catch fresh fish.

Mt. Beautiful is a major New Zealand wine operation, sourcing fruit from the North Canterbury region. Check out “Mt. Beautiful Winery Brand Overview” from Mt. Beautiful Wines on Vimeo. The video is available for your viewing pleasure at https://vimeo.com/23250515

Mt Beautiful Chardonnay

Mt Beautiful 2017 Chardonnay (About $23) paired with fish chowder: This Chardonnay is different from your average oaky or tank crafted ones. We enjoyed the ripe fruit notes of apple, stone fruits and nectarines, the smooth texture and medium body makes it an easy-to-pair wine. The real bonus is the clean finish with lovely flint like minerality.

Planted on the most Northern part of the vineyard it is, “hand-tended and hand-harvested. “ The clones are a mixture of French clones B 95 and 2/23 grafted into root stock. The first vintage was 2013.

Mt Beautiful Sauv Blanc

Mt Beautiful 2017 Sauvignon Blanc (About $15) paired with Shrimp Fettuccine: Everyone loves this wine, especially me. If I could only stock one type of wine, this would be it for summer boating perfection. Its characteristic New Zealand flavor profile is always a hit and very easy to pair with most summertime foods. Enticing, but not overwhelming tropical flavors of lime, mango and pineapple. The grassy notes are dulled somewhat. A rich mid-palate all the way through to a crisp finish with that bright minerality that we look for in a New Zealand wine.

The majority of the Sauvignon Blanc is planted on the most northern part of the vineyard which is cooler and more suited to this variety. All of the Sauvignon Blanc is hand-thinned and machine harvested before it is pressed into juice on site. The Bordeaux clones used, “ …tends to give a definite lift to Sauvignon Blanc flavors, with less cut grass and more tropical flavors providing a more artisan style, balanced, elegant wine which compliments a range of foods.”


Mt Beautiful 2016 Pinot Noir (About $23) paired with fresh Coho Silver Salmon: Begins with elegant notes of cranberry, black cherry, mild oak, spice and some easy floral notes. Complex yet smooth. It has a lovely warm finish. A little richer than some other Pinots, but did not overwhelm the rich salmon meal.

This Pinot Noir is planted on the Southern section, which has the highest elevation in the vineyard, providing extra warmth and less exposure to frost. Closely planted to reduce vigor resulting in lower crop levels, allowing the grapes to achieve, “… a true expression of this variety.” Hand tended throughout the season and at harvest. The winemaker is looking, “… to build sound palate structure in the wine, providing a vibrant ruby wine with ripe fruit, subtle tannins, great length and persistence of flavor.” I think they made their point very well.

crab

2016 Mt Beautiful Riesling (About $22) paired Crab salad & cornbread: Yummy with ripe but off-dry flavors of honeysuckle and lime. Citrus notes combine with a crisp minerality and ripe apple. Nice acidity on the finish by blending two different blocks of Riesling.

“The Riesling is planted on the higher elevated Southern section of the vineyard bordered by gullies, with the gully to the west being an established pine forest creating a warm sheltered block.”

Mt Beautiful 2017 Beautiful Rose (About $15) paired with a ham sandwich: A dry, crisp blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Gris. Salmon pink color with some floral notes and sweet red berry aromas on the nose. Love those taste of white peach and pink grapefruit. Smooth texture and acid friendly. This is a medium bodied wine with a significant finish. Great for most lunchtime fair.

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Name of the licence holder: Dionysus Ventures Limited
Licence number: 57/OFF/411/2023
Licence expiry date: 27 February 2025
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