This is one of New Zealand’s premier wines. Often called the greatest wine that New Zealand makes, and is consistently sold out despite its price point above $200.

Sold mainly through Stonridge’s VIP loyalty club, it’s worthy of the praise heaped upon it. The 2008 vintage received very high praise from one of America’s most notorious wine critics Robert Parker Jnr.

He scored the wine 93-95 points with these remarks “ The 2008 Larose shows great purity on the nose: blackberry, wild hedgerow and a touch of dried herbs. Quite understated but very good definition. There is a lovely chocolate scent off-stage that should evolve with time (think Pomerol.) The palate is very smooth, nice definition, dominated by the new oak at the moment but there is certainly sufficient fruit to support it. Very fine tannins on the finish that exudes so much precision and poise. It is superb.”

The 2009 showed just as much promise, with already nice aromatics of pencil shavings and really dark Autumnal fruits of the forest. The palate displayed great character for a wine only 2 years old. You can already tell that this wine is made for the long haul and will definitely reward the people who decide to cellar it.

The purity of the fruit, the focused nature and structure of the wine offer an insight to the way this wine will age. The linear acid running through the middle of the palate is present but doesn’t dominate the fruit quality. The tannin is firm and grippy but when decanted became smooth. The wine seemed in balance and whole even in its very youthful state, but there is an elegance that goes against what you’d expect for such a young wine.

This wine reminded me of the 1999 Vintage that need until this year to hit its straps and show off its true potential. Long may Stonyridge keep making such great examples of what New Zealand has to offer those seeking Bordeaux style wines. You don’t need to pay Bordeaux prices for top flight Bordeaux quality.

94-96 Points
5 Stars
RRP $200

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Written by Jayson Bryant

Jayson’s roots in wine began when his father literally dragged him round France and injected his passion into him. From the age of 8 his family took month long holidays in France travelling through all regions and sampling their wine.
UnScrewed has reinvented the concept of wine tasting in New Zealand and along the way found a new and willing audience. In addition to encouraging straightforward wine tasting, Jayson educates viewers about the effects of regional factors (soil, sun, wind) on wine flavours, and how to buy wine.

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