Wine Tasting commentary and notes -Lindauer Summer

Lindauer has always been a bright star for New Zealand's wine industry - partly because it was the most accessible sparkling wine in terms of price, but also because it was used as a loss leader for grocery stores, and could be had for $10, $9 or even $8 (almost half it's retail price!) a bottle! Amazing for a wine that is fermented in the bottle, and with 18 months of bottle age (it also ages very nicely in the bottle - we've had some really nice examples that had been sitting in the cellar for a year or more). At those prices, there is no better value in wine, sparkling or not, in New Zealand.

As a fan of the brand, I am concerned about the recent sale of Lindauer by Pernod Ricard to Lion Nathan New Zealand and Indevin, and hope that the production standards do not slip!

There is quite a range in the Lindauer brand - Sec, Rosé, Brut Cuvee, Fraise (a brilliant marketing design. Though I really don't like the stuff, it fits a market niche very nicely!) and more recently the Sauvignon (sparkling Sauvignon blanc), which I've tasted and think is pretty much spot-on for what a typical Marlborough Savvie drinker would want (not that it's my cup of tea, so to speak!!).

More recently, there has been a limited release in the form of Lindauer Summer, which is a sparkling Pinot gris made using fruit from Gisborne.

I know what to expect when I buy a bottle of New Zealand sparkling Sauvignon blanc, but what to make of this sparkling Pinot gris, when still wine versions of Pinot gris are all over the place in terms of style? There's only one way to find out! So... what's my take on it?

My tasting notes:

Nose:
Fresh apple (Jonagold variety, if you know it - one of my favourite apples!), honey, fresh plum and Queen Anne cherry

Palate: Nice fresh mousse, though not so fine a one. Good palate weight, with the flavour of sweet lemonade (e.g. Sprite carbonated drink or the like for those in North America that might be reading this!). Slight metallic character, but nothing too distinguishing in terms of flavour, except some Golden Delicious apple. Slight astringency, and a short length.

Note that this is not methode traditionelle, but a Pinot gris still wine that has been carbonated (like the Sauvignon). So a rough mousse is to be expected, as the complex of compounds that make a really fine mousse in bottle aged wines isn't there...

Overall opinion? I tweeted this comment about it:
"Drinking Lindauer Ltd Release "Summer" -Gissy Pinot gris sparkling wine. Verdict? Meh+. Not bad, not great, but keep up the experimentation!"

The slightly expanded version is that I like the fact that they're experimenting. I like that they're featuring a product made from Gisborne grapes, a region that has suffered a bit in recent years. I think they've made another product that will appeal to a segment of wine drinkers (personally, I don't think I'm in that segment), but I think it does suffer from an identity crisis.


The marketing does try to convey the limited availability and to some extent the wine style through the choice of the name, "Summer," but for me, it's not the sort of thirst-quenching drink I would expect for that name. IMO, it would need to have more acidity, and be more fruity.


However, I do applaud Pernod Ricard for putting this out in the marketplace, and I hope that they continue to do limited releases of different styles - always keep pushing the envelope!!


But of course, now it's no longer PR's job - it's in the hands of Lion Nathan NZ and Indevin! Keep up the innovation, please!!