My monthly wine tasting with local Martinborough wine buffs and winemakers, boosted by a regular contingent of Wellington aficionados, is always an exciting occasion. This month’s tasting – a vertical of the Puriri Hills flagship wine, originally called Reserve, but since 2012, Harmonie du Soir, was surely one of the most awaited.
Puriri Hills Estate is situated in the SE Auckland region of Clevedon, just across the water from Waiheke Island and enjoying a very similar climate. It was founded in 1997 by American Judy Fowler, a long-time lover of Bordeaux, particularly those of the right bank with Cheval Blanc considered her inspiration. The first 4 acres of what was intended to be the standard right-bank Bordeaux mix of Merlot and Cabernet Franc were planted in 1997 on slopes and terraces which rise from the Wairoa River-carved Clevedon Valley floor. However, the ‘Cabernet Franc’ was later discovered to be Carmenere, which the Estate has learned to manage and together with subsequently planted Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, now forms part of the magical blend.
Founder & Owner Judy Fowler
The soils of these slopes and terraces are mostly clay-rich with alluvial and volcanic influences, both free ranging and moisture retentive, allowing the formation of deep vine root systems which contribute to the plushness and longevity of the Estate’s wines. The vineyards are managed sustainably with minimal chemical inputs, promotion of diversity (including retention of the native Puriri trees after which the estate is named) and hand tending and harvesting to reduce compaction and mechanical disruption of soil structure.
The vineyards slope to the Northeast, capturing good sunlight while offering cooler morning light and airflow, with the Maraetai Hills rising to the West behind the vineyard shielding it from harsh weather and contributing to a sheltered microclimate. The moderate maritime climate allows for slow even ripening of the grapes which maintains fragrant aromatics. A dedicated winery was constructed in 2004, with the 2005 vintage being the first to be produced in the newly completed winery. Judy works with consultant Evert Nijzink, former chief winemaker at Alpha Domus and Paritua to craft the wines and he is involved in all major winemaking and blending decisions.
Puriri Hills is focussed on quality production, embracing the challenge of each vintage to let “the vines make the wine”. Fermentation is in open top oak or stainless vessels, followed by two years in elevage in French oak, usually 50% new, and then bottle aging for up to five more years, releasing the wines to market only when they are entering the beginning of their drinking window. The Puriri Hills wine collection has three labels. The Estate wine is considered a clear expression of each vintage and is often more approachable and earlier drinking. Offering excellent value for money, this is a favourite on the wine lists of many fine dining restaurants. I remember first tasting the 2014 Estate at Botswana Butchery in Queenstown and being wowed, resolving to buy a case on my return to Martinborough only to discover it was already sold out!
Harmonie du Soir, formerly labelled simply ‘Reserve’ is considered the flagship wine and is produced in most but not all vintages. Named after the Charles Baudelaire poem of the same name which speaks of the “exotic and magical mingling of fragrances in a garden as day turns to night”, this is testament to the signature aromatics of these wines.
Pope, the third label, is made only in exceptional vintages and only seven have been made up to and including the 2020 vintage. It was named in honour of Ivan Pope who helped to plant and tend the vineyards in the early years before he passed away in 2005.
Aside from being my personal favourite producer of elegant Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, Puriri Hills Estate has won consistent praise from wine critics. The Real Review and Bob Campbell in particular, have repeatedly ranked the Estate as one of the top wineries of New Zealand, including No 1 Winery for 2020, and in recent years given 34 ‘Top Rank’ awards to Puriri Hills wines. James Suckling, Decanter Magazine and Cameron Douglas have also praised the structure, finesse and cellaring potential of their wines.
It was with keen anticipation that I opened the following nine wines for our tasting last Sunday and decanted into clean unlabelled bottles between 7.30 and 8am in the morning for pouring at 12.30.
- 2008 Puriri Hills Reserve
- 2009 Puriri Hills Reserve
- 2010 Puriri Hills Reserve
- 2012 Puriri Hills Harmonie du Soir
- 2013 Puriri Hills Harmonie du Soir
- 2014 Puriri Hills Harmonie du Soir
- 2015 Puriri Hills Harmonie du Soir
- 2019 Puriri Hills Harmonie du Soir
- 2020 Puriri Hills Harmonie du Soir
The lineup of our wines tasted
After the initial decanting I completed a quick initial appraisal to determine the tasting order for the wines which were served blind to the tasting participants. The order and my rationale for it was as follows:
- 2012 as the first wine to introduce the series, a good representative of the Puriri Hills flagship style with no outstandingly positive or negative features, just a very good wine.
- Three older wines that showed a bit more developed tertiary character: 2010, then 2008, then 2009.
- Then proceeding in order of initially perceived body and palate weight from lighter to heavier: 2015, 2019, 2013, 2014, 2020.
A note about provenance – all of the wines were acquired directly from the Estate with the 2013 vintage and following each acquired on release from the Estate (the 2020 being a members pre-release) and the earlier wines acquired from the Estate’s own library. The benchmark Puriri Hills fragrance was immediately evident on opening. All of the wines were closed with a good quality natural cork and all seemed in good condition. I was confident this was going to be a memorably outstanding tasting but had just two hesitations. The 2008 seemed to have a hint of Brettanomyces but not to the extent of suppressing fruit intensity or delivering the drying Bandaid finish. Usually, my experience with an initial Brett perception is that it gets worse after pouring, so I was half expecting to finally dislike it and see the wine voted least favourite. I was to be pleasantly surprised on both counts! The 2019 was a little lighter than I had expected given the vintage conditions and not quite the finish I expected either. More about that to follow.
When participants were seated we sent the wines around for pouring in the blind order above, 50 ml pours either into the glass the participants chose to bring or the Spiegelau Festival white wine glass as the only wine glass I am able to provide more than a dozen of. In any case nobody had to suffer the standard ISO tasting glass which I read recently has come back into fashion in some trendy American wine bars to the detriment of their customers! After an initial appraisal of the wines, lunch was served: slow cooked beef brisket with creamy mash and broccoli followed by a selection of cheeses with fresh baked ciabatta, and the wines were reappraised. Following the meal we collectively voted and commented on the wines, choosing favourite, second favourite, least favourite and then adding any comments.
Wines in the glass for the first appraisal
That seven of the nine wines had at least one champion as favourite, and second favourites included both the two missing from the favourite list, is testimony to the stand-out quality of all the wines. The overall favourite, was the 2013, closely followed by the 2020, and then the first tasted 2012 which was the most highly chosen second favourite! The 2019 was the unexpected least favourite, not nearly by consensus but several tasters including me, noted some clipping of the palate and shortening of the finish. This was not enough for anyone to actually dislike the wine but enough to raise a suspicion there might be a cork problem. To test this, I opened another bottle yesterday and tasted with local winemaker Paul Mason and one of the previous tasting’s participants – I am pleased to report that this bottle was significantly better – still a lighter wine than I had expected from the vintage but with full fragrance, intensity of flavour and length of finish. Accordingly in the tasting notes below I report on this second bottle rather than the anomalous bottle tasted the previous Sunday.
What follows is my personal impressions of each wine in the order tasted.
2012 Harmonie du Soir
50% Merlot, 25% Carmenere, 13% Cabernet Franc, 12% Malbec
13.5% Alcohol
From a challenging vintage a surprisingly good wine, ruby in the glass with a beautifully fragrant nose of cassis and dried herbs that to me epitomises the Puriri Hills style, with fine grained silky tannins, good freshness, ripe blackcurrant, plum and herb flavours with a long satisfying and savoury finish.
2010 Reserve
61% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Carmenere, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec
14% Alcohol
Ruby in the glass with garnet edges, again beautifully fragrant with cassis, berry, graphite and herb aromas, not quite as lifted as the 2012, on the palate medium bodied with flavours of blackcurrant, olive and some earthier notes with affine elegant savoury finish.
2008 Reserve
51% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 13% Carmenere, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec
14.1% Alcohol
Happy surprise! After the initial tasting detecting a hint of brett, this did not deteriorate after pouring as expected but instead delighted, especially with the food. Ruby garnet in the glass with aromas of blackberry, spice, cassis and a faint animal note, the palate revealed supple velvety tannins, quite rich black cherry, mulberry and cassis fruit with some distinctly spicy edges of pepper, licorice and clove but no hint of the Bandaid I feared, finishing long, fresh and dry.
2009 Reserve
46% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Franc, 20% Carmenere, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon
13.5% Alcohol
Ruby in the glass with some garnet at the edges, lifted aromas of cassis, licorice and tobacco and leather, on the palate medium bodied with a harmony of cedary oak and plush dark berry fruits, fine savoury tannins, finishing long, fresh and clean.
2015 Harmonie du Soir
78% Merlot, 12% Malbec, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc
13.5% Alcohol
Ruby in the glass with the trademark PH fragrance of cassis, herbs and spice, on the plate medium bodied with ripe blackcurrant, plum, dried herb and cinnamon spice flavours, fine soft tannins and a lovely long fresh and dry finish.
2019 Harmonie du Soir
45% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc, 7% Carmenere, 6% Malbec
12.8% Alcohol
Bright ruby, beautifully fragrant with pencil shavings, cassis, cedar and olive tapenade aromas. On the palate fine but still grippy tannins, give way to ripe blackcurrant, berry, spice and leather flavours, the complex finish long and harmonious, lighter in body than expected for the vintage but nonetheless a very classy wine just coming into its own but with more than a decade of good drinking ahead of it. What shame our bottle on Sunday was let down by the cork.
2013 Harmonie du Soir
76% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet franc, 8% Malbec
14.3% Alcohol
Ruby in the glass with a bright fragrance of cassis, blackberry and plum, edged with dark chocolate and baking spices. On the palate plush tannins give way to rich berry spice and dark chocolate flavours with an earthy edge, a true harmony of freshness, complexity and richness, finishing with along savoury persistence, well in the zone but with a decade of more to go. My second favourite of the tasting, the popular favourite.
2014 Harmonie du Soir
42% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 17% Carmenere, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec
13.5% Alcohol
Ruby in the glass with rich blackberry, cassis, and cedar aromas plus a hint of red pepper. On the palate richer and a little more full-bodied than the 2013 but still elegant, with blackcurrant, Doris plum, licorice and spice flavours on a still firm but supple tannin spine, with a long savoury finish. This was my third favourite of the tasting, just edged by the 2013 but in another three years the places might be reversed.
2020 Harmonie du Soir
45% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc, 7% Carmenere, 6% Malbec.
14% Alcohol
Deep ruby in the glass with distinct aromas of ripe blackcurrants, dark chocolate and cedar. On the palate rich and plush with firm but velvety tannins framing richly concentrated dark berry fruits laced with dark chocolate, lavender, and toasted chestnuts, easily the most powerful and rich of the nine wines tasted, with a long dark chocolate and dried herb complexity. Just entering its drinking window, this stunning wine has at least two decades ahead of it and was my favourite.
All up this there was universal agreement about the quality of the wines and enjoyability of the tasting.
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