KillerB 
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1533
 | | 12-22-2004 09:37 PM |
| Well, it's finally arrived (don't ask) and it's got a screw-cap!
Clolour is almost clear, it seems to get lighter every year but it could be just that the last one was more recent. Nice viscocity for an SB though.
On the nose the most obvious aroma is Lychees with the grapefruit more subdued than normal.
In the mouth it's full flavoured and the grapefruit is much stronger but the background flavours in attendance include lychees, violets, gooseberries, lemons and limes.
Beautifully balanced with a long finish, it's back on form after last year and well worth picking up. | | |
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JimmyV
Central Connecticut
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5251
| | 12-23-2004 06:31 PM |
| Thanks for following up. | | | Beta testing a new signature. | |
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Seaquam
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1141
| | 12-23-2004 06:38 PM |
| We had a bottle of this last night. KB's note is very similar to my impression, though I didn't get any lychee tones. Lots of grapefruit and lime, that lip-smacking refreshing acidity, and very long finish. I only grabbed a couple of bottles yesterday to try it, but I'm going to pick up a few more today. | | | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Picker
Posts: 12
| | 02-20-2005 01:03 PM |
| I tasted this last night.
It certainly has very pronounced fruit intensity, both on the nose and palate. I found nettles and tinned asparagus on the nose along with the grapefruit, and found the asparagus again on the palate along with the lemon and lime on the (very crisp) finish.
I have to say though that for my personal taste I found it a little one dimensional, and the fruit, fruit, fruit a little tiring on the palate after a while. | | | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13801
| | 02-22-2005 02:37 AM |
| Hmm. How obvious was the asparagus, Stack? I find asparagus notes in my wine an off-putter. Kind of bleah, you know? | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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KillerB
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1533
| | 02-22-2005 11:40 AM |
| I found the asparagus less obvious in this vintage than in the last two, especially the last where it was an annoying after-taste. | | | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Picker
Posts: 12
| | 02-23-2005 12:20 PM |
| I thought it was fairly noticeable - esp. on the nose - but actually I don't mind it. | | | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13801
| | 02-23-2005 02:00 PM |
| Thanks Stack. Did it ever really blow off of the nose? I've never really gotten asparagus notes on Cloudy Bay. I'll probably still get at least a bottle of this vintage to give it a test drive. Grazie! | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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Seaquam
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1141
| | 02-23-2005 02:41 PM |
| I've had this wine 3 or 4 times now, and never noted what I'd call tinned asparagus. Maybe we're using different descriptors for a similar element-- typicallly Sauvignon grassiness. Or maybe the wine's going through a stage. Or maybe there's bottle variation. Here's a link to Lafon Rochet's note from a night when six of us shared a bottle last month. All of our palates have a slightly different sensitivity to some flavours, but as I think we can all agree, this CB vintage is all about big fruit and bracing acidity. Nice match for cream-based soups or sauces. | | | |
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kimber
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1259
| | 02-23-2005 02:47 PM |
| What's the retail on this bottle now? Feels like its gone up every year -- is it now in the high $20's? | | | |
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KillerB
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1533
| | 02-24-2005 01:26 PM |
| It probably is going up due to the weak Dollar. It's a fairly stable price over here but with the exchange rate it would appear to be very expensive to an American.
Consider it this way, I paid £13.50 for a bottle this time and probably the same or a little less three years ago. The exchange rate when I bought it this time between £ and $ was $1.90ish and it was $1.40ish three years ago.
So three years ago $18.90
Now.................... $25.65 | | | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13801
| | 02-24-2005 02:00 PM |
| At the bastard wine shops around here in DC, this has gone for $23-$30 over the past several years. I got some from MudPuppy once for a superfine price (I think $19.99???).  | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Stomper
Posts: 141
| | 02-24-2005 08:27 PM |
| I'm going to have to agree with KillerB on this one, I think it is an absolute 'cracker' of a bottle. Beautiful fruit intensity with a glorious mouthfeel and quite extrodinary length. Perhaps it is a little over priced, but the 2004 is definatly one of the finest new world Sauvignon Blancs available at the moment, IMO it's worth the money. I can't think of a wine that I would rather drink sitting on the beach watching the sun go down with my beautiful better half (well I can think of a few, but it's up there).  | | | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Fermenter
Posts: 672
| | 05-22-2005 09:32 PM |
| - 2004 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough (5/21/2005)
Purchased for $21. Lots of trademark Cloudy Bay grass and grapefruit in this wine. In the mouth, the liftoff is promising, but it plateaus for a couple seconds before finishing with some nettling sting. I found the midpalate a bit dull and clumsy. instead of precise and dynamic (like good Cloudy vintages are). It may knit together a bit over the summer, but I'm not sure. Still a nice wine to drink on the patio. (88 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker!Cheers, Otis | | | |
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Seaquam
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1141
| | 06-11-2005 11:09 PM |
| I've had 2 more bottles of this in the last couple of weeks. I'm in agreement with some of the comments above that the wine is back on track and clearly superior to the '03 bottling.
The flavours are dominated by grapefruit at present, with a nice grassy edge. Light but intense at the same time, with a lip-smacking, acidic long finish. Great foil to a rich seafood dish. I think 91-92 pts. is about right.
Otis, the words "dull and clumsy" in your note don't jive with my recent experience. I know it couldn't have been corked , but maybe a flawed bottle? | | | |
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max
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1145
| | 06-12-2005 01:47 PM |
| I agree having had this a couple weeks ago. I thought it was a great bottle of SB giving it a 90. I think I prefer the Kim Crawford a point more though. | | | |
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futronic
Toronto, Canada
Wine Bottler
Posts: 3214
| | 07-20-2005 09:14 AM |
| Pale almost clear colour with green flecks. Aromas of grass, grapefruit, lemon, and lime. Light-medium bodied with replays from nose and a nice crispness to it. Moderate finish, 30s, with citrus notes. I like this better than the Kim Crawford, even if it is more expensive. 90 points (06/16/2005). | | | |
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KillerB
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1533
| | 07-21-2005 11:58 AM |
| Quote:
Pale almost clear colour with green flecks. Aromas of grass, grapefruit, lemon, and lime. Light-medium bodied with replays from nose and a nice crispness to it. Moderate finish, 30s, with citrus notes. I like this better than the Kim Crawford, even if it is more expensive. 90 points (06/16/2005).
Agreed Fut - the KC is nice but this is better. | | | |
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Tom
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2384
| | 10-05-2005 08:40 PM |
| Good. I always liked this wine, nut it is not easy to find here in Dallas.
When you do find it the price is pretty steep....$24+.
Ouch | | | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Stomper
Posts: 141
| | 11-15-2005 12:37 AM |
| Drank tonight on it's own.
Much better than the last few bottles that I have tasted over the last year. Much more refined and smooth with typical cloudy bay tropical fruits and a strong peach(?) component noted in previous vintages but never in the 2004. Looks like this baby has finally settled down and is now drinking in it's prime. I haven't been impressed with the last few outings with this wine but it's now, IMHO, among the best New Zealand SB's currently available. I picked up some 2004 Villa Maria Clifford Bay Reserve and Dog Point Section 94 at the weekend and am looking forward to comparing. I'm glad I have another 6 pack to enjoy over the next year.
92pts, and quite a bit better than Kim Crawford/Nautilus/Huia/Selaks/Palliser tasted lately. | | | |
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