Four Yealands Wines

Four Yealands Wines

 

Established on 08/08/08, Yealands is an ambitious go-ahead New Zealand winery with an overt sustainability agenda based in the southern Awatere Valley of Marlborough. Peter Yealands' mantra is: think boldly, tread lightly and never say it can't be done.

 

I've been impressed with their wines previously; they sent me four to review, so I decided to match each to a different course.

Mostly current vintage and bottled under screwcap, the Sauvignon and Pinot Noir benefit especially from extended aeration.

 

Aperitif

 

Peter Yealands Sauvignon Blanc, 2014 (£10 Co-op, Sainsbury's) SB is now officially the UK's favourite wine grape, some ten years after it became the critics' darling in the backlash against monolithically oaky Chardie. It also remains NZ's signature grape and this example is a multi-award winner.

 

Clean, pure, textbook mid-market kiwi SB; modern, expressive and aromatic with zippy, pithy tropical fruit; at 12.5% it is a light-ish quaffer and a perfect aperitif (even if to bearded hipster-types, it screams middle-England, late-majority demographic).

 

Starter - mozzarella, tomatoes and rocket with olive oil.

 

Yealands Gruener Veltliner, 2014 (£12.95, independents) a full-bodied, versatile food wine, Gruener is perfect for matching with strongly flavoured foods.

 

Ripe, precise and mineral with a whiff of pepper on the finish, this is elegant, balanced and substantial - later harvesting and a touch of oak adds some nutty, creamy spicy weight. Good.

 

Fish - plaice fillets, beurre blanc, courgettes

 

Yealands PGR, 2014 (£13.95, Noel Young, other independents) a blend of Alsatian varieties (Pinot Gris, Gewuerztraminer and Riesling - hence the name), this has a ripe Alsatian spicy-richness to it that matches well with the buttery sauce but also cuts through it. Good.

 

Main - duck breast strips with spiced red-wine and cherry reduction

 

Yealands Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2013 (£13.95, independents) The gaminess of the duck and the spicy rich fruit of the jus match perfectly with this clean, pure expressive Pinot.

 

Elegant and fresh with red fruit and farmyard, it is a harmonious, no-tears textbook Pinot.

 

Other related articles

Yealands tasting and dinner

Yealands SB from the Co-op