I popped these on Saturday for the neighbours to enjoy and I have finally got around to typing my notes up. The Boxler was terribly good.

Pinot Grid Grand Cru Brand 2007, Domaine Albert Boxler
This has a rich, powerful nose of opulent white fruit which hints of being quite roasted. It certainly shows a lot of creamy minerality which makes this quite a complex and pleasing nose. The palate is also opulent and rich. Lots and lots of ripe fruit with some residual sugar clearly presently. The balance is just fine, though, as it has a real streak of screaming acidity running straight through it. So much acidity, in fact, that my poor, abused stomach is complaining about it. The minerality adds to the complexity of the palate and this persists on the rather long finish along with its fruit and acidity. For sure, this is a big wine, but it is balanced and throbs with interest.

Pinot Noir 2008, Delta
There is quite a lot of cherry and strawberry fruit on the nose, but not, if I am honest, that much else. The alcohol level is quite balanced, but this nose is mainly about being fruity and fun. The palate is also very fruity, and there is a reasonable tannic structure to it so it seems fairly lively. It has some length as well, but there is not much in the way of complexity to it. It is quite accessible and delivers some pleasure. As one of the cheaper wines in our ‘general drinking’ purchase I feel this is pretty much up to the expected level.

This was a gift from a very generous friend (if you are in town, lunch again? I'm feeling a lot better), I was extremely pleased to notice its alcohol level was a de Montille-esque 12.5%. node, an older boy, told me to drink it sir. It is serious Pinot.

Pinot Noir Waitaki Valley, North Otago 2006, John Forrest Collection
Its quite dark for an NZ Pinot. Lovely fresh red fruits, strawberries perhaps. Really good elegance and, dare I say it, elegance to the nose. Yummy. The palate has plenty of ripe fruit, but with a really satisfying tannic structure. The acidity is bright and fresh too. This is quite refined, well balanced and, best of all, a real pleasure to drink. This is Pinot elegance done very well.

OK, I admit that very few Sauvignon Blancs do it for me, but this is horrible beyond my powers of description. I'll give being rude a go, though.

Sauvignon Blanc "Selection 94" 2006, Dog Point Vineyard
The nose is completely confected and contrived, clearly made from over-ripe fruit that has been cold-fermented. It is not all that clean, either. Utterly disgusting filth would be a fair description of the nose; it revolts in so many ways. I've had two mouthfuls and that is enough. It is blowsy and distinctly sweet, with truly horrible rotting fruit flavours. It lacks any balance, harmony, or even any nice flavours that would make one want even sip this wine gingerly. This wine is a slur on the good name of wine. How could anyone make this and, even more incredibly, expect people to pay money and drink it? I have been drinking so well recently that this wine is personally offensive; the winemaker generated this filth specifically to revolt those who like nice wine and I bet the bastard was targetting me in particular. I am eternally grateful that I didn't pay for this, but my bad mood at having tried it will last until someone punches the winemaker on my behalf.

The first New Zealand wine to be reported on in this spume of drivel. I just purchased it because I thought it would be vaguely interesting; it is actually quite nice. One of the neighbours I am drinking this with is from New Zealand, so he appreciates that I've got a native wine for him.

Brightwater Pinot Gris 2005, Neudorf
This smells really fat and buxom; I'd guess they did a reasonable amount of skin contact. It holds its 14.5% alcohol quite well. The palate is very dense and heavy, but it has a reasonable amount of acidity. I quite like the peachy fruit character. It is not terribly long, but it does taste nice. A good drink for a balmy summer evening with some friends.