When I first walked into the classroom at the back of the Everything Wine North Vancouver store, I was instantly impressed with the white-linen-lined tables adored with pre-poured tasting glasses of the Sacred Hills Wines that we were going to be tasting that evening. The 15 of us or so participants took our seats after having a personal introduction from Tony Bish, the actual winemaker from the New Zealand winery. I have participated in wine tastings in the past, even at wineries, yet this was the first time that I actually met the man in charge of finalizing the tastes of each of Sacred Hills Wines. I knew I was in for a real treat, along with the four friends I had brought along with me.
Tony began by giving us a little history on the family-owned Sacred Hill Winery, which began its’ journey in 1986. As with many winery names, one tends to question the origins of the chosen name, and Tony made certain to tell us the tale of ‘Sacred Hill’, the known nickname for the town’s regional local pub. Tony described how the the first vintage’s Sauvignon Blanc produced 350 cases and was sold all at once to one single buyer. Today, the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc, along with other wine varietals, now produce a combines 400,000 cases of wine a year, and since 2001, Sacred Hill has won multiple awards and medals.
I know what you’re thinking – “get on with the wine!”, and just as I was beginning to feel the same about the history lesson, Tony Bish began the fun part of the night – tasting the wines in front of u
First up was the original member of the family – the Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc. With the first inhale of the lightly coloured wine, your nose was filled with aromas of citrus fruits and green grass. Another deeper sniff brought out hues of gooseberry, and fig, and was everything that one would come to expect a world famous Sauvignon Blanc to be. This wine is light and fresh with just enough acidity to balance the pallet with elements of melon and pineapple coming through overtime. The flavour was characteristically short and had a quick clean finish to it; perfect for summer afternoon sittin on the patio!
We soon jumped onto the Sacred Hill Pinot Grigio, whose delicious aromas of spicey pear and caramelized ginger were rich in introductory flavour while being mild on the pallet with a gorgeous smooth finish to this low acidic white. The Pinot Grigio (or Gris, depending on the country in which it is sold) has a much sweeter taste when compared to the Sauv Blanc, and is considerably heavier in weight with a dominiating pear tasting. Each vintage comes from a single vineyard blend of Pinot Grigio from three stages during the fermentation process resulting in a well balanced consistent flavour and texture. This oily-textured wine would be a fantastic with a caesar salad or any salad with an oil-dressing on it for that matter.
Tony concluded the whites with a 93 point 2007 Sacred Hill Rifleman’s Chardonnay, and what an amazing treat! The initial smell and taste was incredible; buttery aromas and oak exploded with the first sniff which was no surprise when looking at the thick golden colour of this smooth nutty wine. Leather and hints of acidity complimented the wine’s lingering finish with wonderful full-bodied citrus that enveloped the rich influencial flavours of Fench Oak. To those who have never explerienced the joy of a Chard, you have to try this amazing vintage.
Then we were on to the reds. Tony invited us to try the 2008 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir. My first reaction when I smelled the lighter red-colour vino was “earthy!”, which pays tribute to the land in which these vines struggle to grow. Smells of strawberries and other lighter berries fill your taste-buds as elements of licorice dance upon your taste buds. The Pinot Noir had a soft and elegant texture to it with a short crisp finishm and it was suggested that a delicate wine such as this pinot woul pair beautifully with a lamb.
Just when I thought I had found a new pinot love, the big daddy of the pinot varietals was next: the 2006 Sacred Hill Prospector’s Pinot Noir. The difference between to two pinots was astounding! The first immediate difference was how much deeper the strawberry flavours were and how much more volume in length this smooth pinot entailed. It was love at first sip, and I long for another encounter with my new berry-chocolate flavoured friend.
Tony then introduced us to the Gimblett Gravel area’s Sacred Hill Merlot. This variety is as many merlots tend to be; smells and tastes like dark berries, olives, cigars and hints of blue cheese. It was far more tanic on the pallet compared to the other bigs reds and would pair lovely with any red meat. Having said all that, and being a merlot-lover, at $22.99 a bottle, I wasn’t all that impressed with this wine, especially for the price point. It was everything one would expect a merlot to be; however, I did not find anything too exciting about it. But that’s the joys wine tasting and the fun of the whole experience.
The grand finale was next, and Tony did not disappoint! We completed our evening sampling the Sacred Hill Hemlsman Cabernet Merlot, and oh-my-word, this 97 point wine most certainly earned its status of rivalring some of the greatest bordeauxs in the world. With flavours bursting with dark berries, blue cheese, smoke and spice, peppery and tanic, rich plum and leatherm the Cabernet Merlot was far superior to its Merlot brother. And at $56.99 a bottle, this is a real treat for a special occasion. If you are able to get a hold of a bottle or three, I highly recommend you do as this wine can be stored for 15-20 years. Buy it today to celebrate the birth of a friend’s child and open it when he or she graduates from high school, or have it tonight.
One thing to note is that every bottle of Sacred Hill has a screw-cap top. Tony said they gace up on corks years ago when they were loosing anywhere from 10 to 15 to 50 per cent of their product to corkage, and as a relatively young winery, these numbers were unacceptable. Tony said that a lot of the time their wine may be slightly corked, unnoticeable to most who would assume that the wine just wasn’t good and stear them away from buying it the next time; business-wise, the traditional cork meathod was more of a hinterance to the reputation of Sacred Hill than the romance of corking a new bottle, which I found to be the most facinating explanation I have heard in the debate of cork versus screw cap.
The Sacred Hill wine tasting at Everything Wine was an incredible experience, and I do hope that you are fortunate enough in life to try some of the best that New Zealand has to offer.
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