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| David L. Kahn |
Wine Tasting Club |
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Wine Tasting Summary
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For general information on Australia wine, see the Wine Australia site.
For general information on New Zealand wine, see the New Zealand Wine site.
In the list below, winery names are linked to their respective Web sites.
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| #16 |
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Australia/New Zealand White Wine |
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May 10, 2002 |
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| Year |
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Producer, Selection |
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From |
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Variety |
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Price * |
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Score + |
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| 2000 |
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Rosemount, Show Reserve, Hunter Valley |
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Australia |
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Chardonnay |
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$14.40 |
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88 |
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| 2001 |
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Villa Maria, Marlborough |
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New Zealand |
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Sauvignon Blanc |
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$10.00 |
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87.5 |
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| 2001 |
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Tyrrell's, Long Flat Vineyard, White |
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Australia |
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65% Semillon, 35%Sauvignon Blanc |
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$5.60 |
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87 |
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| 2000 |
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Tohu, Gisborne |
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New Zealand |
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Chardonnay |
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$12.80 |
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82.5 |
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| 2001 |
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Rosemount, Diamond Label |
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Australia |
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Chardonnay |
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$9.00 |
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81.5 |
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| 2001 |
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Villa Maria, Marlborough, Cellar Selection |
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New Zealand |
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Sauvignon Blanc |
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$14.40 |
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81 |
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Conventional wisdom holds that Australia's Chardonnay is superior to New Zealand's and that New
Zealand offers better Sauvignon Blanc than Australia. We sampled three Chardonnays and three
Sauvignon Blancs, two of each from their 'preferred' country (a 'budget' and 'premium' wine from
a single winery'). Does New Zealand make a good Chardonnay?
Our top two wines were the Rosemount 'premium' and the Villa Maria 'budget' (very fruity with
a hint of sweetness). The Tyrrell's came in third, but the differences in score among the
top three wines wasn't significant.
As an inexpensive but delicious blend, the Tyrrell's was a bargain.
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* The Price reflects the club discount for non-sale wines purchased at
Kappy's Liquors
in Sudbury and Wine Cellars of Silene in Waltham. Any purchases at the club price
must be coordinated through me.
+ The Score represents the average rating of the group at this tasting, on
a scale from 50 to 100. We each assign a value of 0-4 for appearance, 0-6 for aroma, 0-6
for flavor and 0-4 for our overall impression resulting in a total score from 0-20. These
are averaged, the result is multiplied by 2.5 and then 50 is added. The resulting 50-100
scale is the same range used by Wine Spectator
though their process may be different.
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