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March 2007 |
Fromm
Chardonnay Brancott Valley 2005
Rating 92
This striking wine is beautifully balanced between
generosity and austerity, as it is a bit more ample
in flavor and more rounded in texture than a top
Grand of Premier Cru from Puligny or Chassagne in
Burgundy's Côte de Beaune, but drier and more
reserved and mineral than almost any New World Chardonnay
you'll encounter. Interesting accents of toast and
spices and fresh bread dough are notable but subtle,
letting the pure fruit notes retain center stage.
Fruit, acidity and wood are seamlessly integrated.
Impressive!
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winereviewonline.com
Michael Franz |
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March 2007 |
La Strada Chardonnay
2004 - Rating
91
This label is associated with Fromm Winery, which
makes some of New Zealand's most classy, European-style
wines. In that vein, this is significantly leaner,
drier and more mineral than most New Zealand Chardonnays,
which are in turn far more stylish and acidic than
most of their counterparts from Australia, California
or South America. The overall package is very bright
and fresh, but given that this is nearly three years
old, it also shows lots of little nuances of aroma
and flavor. Accents of bread crust, roasted nuts,
lemon rind and subtle woodsmoke work very nicely
with a core of fruit that recalls citrus fruits
and green apples. Impressively persistent and symmetrical
in the duration of its aftertaste, this is an outstanding
wine. 91 Michael Franz Mar 6, 2007
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winereviewonline.com
Michael Franz |
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August 2006 |
Fromm
Clayvin Vineyard Pinot Noir 2004
Rating
90, 4 stars
A dense and quite complex wine in a lean Burgundian
style. Red cherry, plum, briar and reasonably strong
oak. Fairly austere at this stage, through wines
from this hillside vineyard have a proven record
of ageing very well. Good drinking now or in the
next 6 years.
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Gourmet Traveller Wine
Bob Campbell MW |
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June/July 2006 |
La Strada Malbec
Reserve 2004
Rich, warming and spicy – a classic malbec
with juicy fruit flavours and a welcome cut of vibrant
acidity. Spicy, peppery characters and classy oak
add extra appeal. A full-bodied malbec in a cool-climate
style. Drink now or in the next 6 years
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Gourmet Traveller Wine
Bob Campbell MW |
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Winter 2006 |
Fromm
Clayvin Vineyard Chardonnay 2003
Powerful fruit with essence-like concentration,
lots of bright melon and a light peppery spicy side
below mealy complexity, showing the full array of
barrel ferment, wild yeast and more. The palate
is super integrated, starting savoury, it fleshes
out in waves of lime citrus, progressing in distinct
phases before turning through cashew nut and nougat
to finish. A terrific soulful wine.
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Australian Sommelier
Nick Stock |
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April 2006 |
Fromm La Strada
Chardonnay 2004
Rating 95,
5 stars
I’ve spent many sleepless nights agonising
over which winery makes the country’s best
Chardonnay. Neudorf wins (marginally) in the long-term,
but Fromm can breast the tape well ahead of the
field in favourable vintages – 2004 being
a prime example. A lovely, weighty, tight and powerful
wine with masses of mineral, white peach and grapefruit,
and a hint of matchstick. It’s classically
Burgundian and I love it! Cellar 8 years.
(pdf 76 kb)
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Gourmet Traveller Wine
Bob Campbell MW |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
Fromm Vineyard Pinot Noir 2004, 5 stars
Winemaker Hatsch Kalberer describes this majestic
Marlborough red as ‘not a typical new World
style, but the truest expressions of terroir you
could find’. In the Fromm vineyard near Renwick,
in the heart of the Wairau Valley, 11 clones of
Pinot Noir are close-planted on a flat site with
alluvial topsoils overlying layers of clay and free-draining
gravels. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts
and matured in Burgundy oak barrels (10 to 15 per
cent new). In a vertical tasting of the 1996 to
2003 vintages, held in early 2005, the wine showed
great consistency. But needs at least four or five
years to unleash its full class. Deepley coloured
and perfumed, the 2003 vintage (*****) is densely
packed and tightly structured, with an authoritative
palate showing rich, sweet fruit flavours, braced
b firm tannins. Drink 2007-2014
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Michael Coopers
Buyer's guide to New Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
Clayvin Vineyard Pinot Noir 2004, 5 stars
This powerful, muscular but not tough Marlborough
red is grown at the hillside Clayvin site in the
Brancott Valley. Matured for 16 months in French
oak barriques (20 per cent new), and bottled without
fining or filtering, the 2003 vintage (**** ½)
is deeply coloured, with fresh, dark-berry and spice
aromas. Fleshy, rich and rounded, it has plum, cherry
and spice flavours and gentle tannins. It’s
forward in its appeal (or as Fromm put it, ‘open
and approachable’).
Drink 2006-2012
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Michael Coopers Buyer's guide to New
Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
La Strada Pinot Noir 2004, 4.5 stars
The Fromm Pinot Noir style is distinctive –
powerful, warm, meaty and firm. Grown at two side
(one is the Clayvin vineyard in the Brancott Valley
of Marlborough and matured for 16 months in French
oak cask (only 10 per cent new), the 2003 vintage
(**** ½) is fresh, full-bodied and smooth,
with cherry, plum and spice flavours, slightly earthy
and savoury, ripe and dens. It’s already drinking
well. Drink 2006-2011
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Michael Coopers
Buyer's guide to New Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
La Strada Syrah Reserve,
4.5 stars
Still youthful, the 2003 vintage (
4.5 stars) was estate-grown in the
Fromm vineyard, on Marlborough’s Wairau plains,
and matured in French oak barriques (25 per cent
new oak). It’s a distinctly cool-climate expression
of Syrah, with bold colour and a powerful, peppery
fragrance. Fresh and vibrant, weighty and expression
of Syrah, with firm tannins and a rich, slightly
chewy finish, it should live for many years. Drink
2006-2014
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Michael Coopers Buyer's guide to New
Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
La Strada Merlot Reserve 2002 5
stars
The robust 2002 vintage (*****) is massively concentrated
Marlborough red, matured in French oak barriques
(20 per cent new). Deeply coloured, it shows great
density of blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours,
warm and complex, with hints of dark chocolate,
herbs, nuts and coffee and a powerful, firm but
not grippy finish. Enjoy it over the next decade.
Drink 2005-2010
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Michael Coopers
Buyer's guide to New Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
La Strada Marlborough Merlot/Malbec 2003
4 stars
The excellent 2002 vintage (**** ½) is a
blend of Merlot (45 per cent), Malbec 40 per cent)
and Cabernet Franc (15 per cent), grown principally
in the Fromm vineyard and matured for 16 to 18 months
in French oak Barriques (mostly old). Deep and youthful
in colour, with a welcoming, spicy fragrance it
is concentrated, warm and complex, with spicy, nutty,
savoury, leathery characters and loads of personality.
It’s maturing well; drink now onwards.
Drink 2005-2008
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Michael Coopers Buyer's guide to New
Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
La Strada Malbec Reserve 2004, 4
stars
Grown in Marlborough (which gives the wine a slightly
fresher, crisper feel than Hawke’s Bay Malbec)
and matured for 14 month in French oak cask (20’
per cent new), the 2002 vintage (****) is a robust
peppery flavours showing excellent concentration
and firm tannins. Winemaker Hatsch Kalberer suggests
drinking it with ‘a large piece of wild venison”.
Drink 2006- 2014
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Michael Coopers
Buyer's guide to New Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
La Strada Riesling Dry 2005,
4 stars
Typically a beautifully poised, delicate Marlborough
wine with citrusy, minerally flavours and a zingy,
lasting finish. The 2004 vintage (****) was grown
in two vineyards, in the Brancott Valley and on
the Wairau Plains. Pale lemon/green, it is full-bodied
(13 per cent) and crisp, tight and youthful, with
fractional sweetness (5.4 grams/litre of residual
sugar) and strong lemon/apple flavours, woven with
tangy acidity.
Drink 2005-2015
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Michael Coopers Buyer's guide to New
Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
La Strada Riesling Auslese 2004, 4
stars
This Marlborough wine is ‘sweet but never
sticky’. The 2004 vintage (****), grown at
two sites, on the Wairau Plains and in the Brancott
Valley, is light (7 per cent alcohol) and sweet
(96 grams/litre of residual sugar), with fresh,
aplley aromas. Tangy, citrusy and appley, it’s
still very youthful, but minerally and intense,
with a burst of sweet fruit flavours. Drink now
or cellar long-term.
Drink 2005-2014
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Michael Coopers
Buyer's guide to New Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
La Strada Riesling 2005, 4
1/2 stars
The vivacious 2004 vintage (4 1/2) is ‘basically
our late-harvest style,’ says Marlborough
vinemaker Hatsch Kalberer. Light-bodied (7 per cent
alcohol), it was grown on the wirau Plains and in
the Brancott Valley, harvested without botrytis
at 21- to 22 brix, and stop-fermented with 95 grams
per litre of residual sugar. Pale lemon/green, it
is tightly structured, sweet and crisp, with intense,
lemony, appley flavours, plentiful sweetness, racy
acidity, and lovely intensity and pise. ‘Drink
it on a Sunday afternoon, with a slight breeze from
the sea,’ suggests Kalberer. Drink 2005-2015
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Michael Coopers Buyer's guide to New
Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
La Strada Gewürztraminer 2005, 4 stars
“A pet variety on the sideline”, is
Marlborough wine maker Hätsch Kalberer’s
description of Gewürztraminer, which occupies
a tiny, 0.1-hectar plot in the estate vineyard.
The bond-dry 2004 vintage (****) is powerful and
robust (14.5 per cent alcohol), with highly concentrated
flavours of lychees and spice, although the total
absence of sweetness eposes a bit of Gewürztraminer’s
characteristic phenolic hardness.
Drink 2005-2010
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Michael Coopers
Buyer's guide to New Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
La Strada Marlborough Chardonnay 2004,
4 1/2 stars
The Fromm style is very different to the fresh,
fruit-driven style of most Marlborough Chardonnays.
Hand-picked and fermented with indigenous yeast
in French oak cask (10 per cent new, to achieve
a “modest” wood influence), and barrel-aged
for over a year, it is given a full, softening malolactic
fermentation. The 2003 vintage (****) was grown
at two sites (including the company-owned Clayvin
Vineyard) in the Brancott Valley. Pale straw, it
is mouthfilling and mealy, with grapefruit and apple,
slightly minerally flavours, a creamy texture, good
complexity and a dry, rounded finish. Drink 2006-2010
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Michael Coopers Buyer's guide to New
Zealand |
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December 2005 |
Fromm
Clayvin Vineyard Chardonnay 2004, 5 stars
Fromm’s premier Chardonnay, grown on the southern
flanks of the Wairau Valley, was previously labelled
La Strada Reserve, but since the 2001 vintage has
been called Clayvin Vineyard (the clay soils, says
winemaker Hätsch Kalberer, give ‚a less
fruity, more minerally and tighter character’).
Tasted in 2005, the 1996 vintage revealed exceptional
weight, power and longevity. The pale lemon/green
2003 vintage (**** ½) is steely and intense.
Fermented with indigenous yeast and matured for
16 months in French oak Barrique (none new), it
is very youthful and fresh, with citrus, slightly
biscuity, almost floral aromas. The palate is crisp
and bone-dry, with racy acidity and deep grapefruit
and slightly toasty flavours, minerally and flinty.
A strong candidate for cellaring. Drink 2007-2012 |
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Michael Coopers
Buyer's guide to New Zealand |
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February 2005 |
La
Strada Pinot Noir 2002, 4 1/2 stars
The Fromm Pinot Noir style is distinctive - powerful,
warm, meaty and firm. Grown at two sites in the
Brancott Valley of Marlborough and matured in
French oak cask.The 2001 vintage (5 stars) ist
arguable the best yet, and superior to most producer's
top labels. It's a very weighty and generous wine
with rich, complex flavors, subtle oak firm but
not grippy tannins and great mouthfeel. It's less
of a crime to drink this wine young than ist stablemates,
but it still shows obvious cellaring potential.
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Michael Coopers Buyer's guide to New
Zealand |
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February 2005 |
Clayvin
Vineyard Pinot Noir 2002, 5 stars
This powerful, muscular but not tough Marlborough
red is grown at the hillside Clayvin site in the
Brancott Valley. Matured for 14 months in French
oak barriques, and bottled without fining or filtering,
the 2001 (5 stars) is notable sturdy, warm and
concentrated, with rich red-berry and plum flavors,
savory, spicy, nutty complexities and firm underlying
tannins. It's a wine of great depth and structure,
likely to reward lengthy cellaring. |
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Michael Coopers
Buyer's guide to New Zealand |
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February 2005 |
Fromm
Vineyard Pinot Noir 2001, 5 stars
Winemaker Hatsch Kalberer describes this majestic
Marlborough red, first made in 1996, as "not
a typical New World style, but the truest expression
of terroir you could find". Estate-grown
between Woodbourne and Renwick, in the heart of
the Wairau Valley, it ist matured in French oak
barriques. In a vertical tasting of the 1997 (labeled
Reserve) to 2002 vintages, held in mid-2004, the
1999 (5 stars) was a star - powerful and complex,
with very rich, firm coffee and spice flavors.
Matured for 16 months in French oak barriques
the 2002 vintage (5 stars) is still very youthful,
with impressive weight and spicy, savory, nutty
flavors, dense and tight-knit. Open 2006+ |
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Michael Coopers Buyer's guide to New
Zealand |
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January 2005 |
2003
Fromm La Strada Dry Riesling, Marlborough
Tangy, fragrant and spicy, this sits halfway between
the crisp austerity of Australia and the floral
fruitiness of Germany |
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Australian Gourmet
Traveller |
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2001 to 2004 more
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