August 17, 2005
Today is the big day! We're off to Queenstown, and our bungy jumps are scheduled for 5:45 p.m., so we can see dusk descending upon the city as we jump off the ledge. Lav has been acting uneasy all day; she's a little nervous about the whole thing -- throwing yourself off a ledge over 150 from the ground, that is. I'm not nervous yet, but I hate heights, so I'm sure I'll be freaked out up there.
The landscape of the South Island is so different than the North Island. As luck would have it, we were able to visit three of the most visually stunning cellar doors were on the way to Queenstown.
Our first stop was at Mt. Difficulty, a cozy, modern facility on the desert hillside with incredible valley and mountain views. We tried these wines:
2004 Sauvignon Blanc: Very tart and zesty, with strong lime overtones. More minerality, but also somewhat underripe.
2004 Chardonnay: More of a subtle incorporation of oak and cream elements on the nose. On the palate, the wine starts out fairly wel-balanced, but then turns toward a citric orange rind and grapefruit.
2004 Roaring Meg Pinot Noir: Bright, medium deep ruby color. Tart strawberry and cherry flavors; not very complex, but built to age up to 5 years. A very well-priced entry level Pinot Noir (approx. US $15)
2003 Pinot Noir: Awesome nose of sweet, smoky and toasty oak and damp earthiness. Tannins are still young and mildly aggressive, but even at this young age they work well to open up the palate. Hints of rose petals.
2003 Target Gully Reserve Pinot Noir: Intensely deep ruby color. Very young tannins; the most complex Pinot Noir we've tasted on the trip so far. Hints of orange rind and light sweet smokiness. Makes you want to wait and see how it evolves as it oxygenates.
On the suggestion of the host at Mt. Difficulty, we headed next to Perregrin, a visually stunning winery about 20 minutes away. The 2-year-old facility has an incredible angled and extended roof, meant to mimic the wing of its namesake bird. The interior was a modern, underlit tavern, svelte in its serene simplicity with a glass wall looking into the barrel room. After trying the following wines, we decided this was our favorite winery of the whole trip:
2004 Riesling: This stuff is SO good! Amazing fruit expression in a completely dry Riesling. Huge bouquets of fruit in the nose and on the palate. Tropical fruits and tart stonefruit flavors with subtle minerality.
2004 Rastaburn Riesling: Off-dry, with medium sweetness. Lime and citrus nose -- massive impact on the palate. Dropes off somewhat on the finish. Excellent.
2004 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough: Intoxicating tropical and passionfruit aromas. Incredibly crisp and zesty, with ruby grapefruit. One of the best we've had.
2004 Saddleback Chardonnay: Super crisp, fruit-driven Chardonnay. Only the faintest hint of creaminess from malo to mute the razor's-edge acidity from the fruit. Terrific citrus flavors.
2004 Central Otago Single Vineyard Chardonnay: The most interesting Chardonnay we've tried. I had a hard time identifying the savory components in the wine's nose. Lav said it smelled like toasted nori... I think she was right on. Acidic stonefruit flavors with excellent minerality. Finish is lightly toasty and refreshing, while savory at the same time. Amazing.
2004 Saddleback Pinot Noir: A blend of grapes from Central Otago and Marlborough. The nose on this wine was a bit off-putting -- weird and latex-like. Tart flavors, but somewhat leathery.
2003 Pinot Noir: Deep ruby color. Phenomenal intensity, with a plush, deep velvet texture. Complex undertones of spice and concentrated cherries. Balanced toasty oak finish. Wow.
Our last stop took us to Amisfield Winery, another incredible-looking estate. Since it was already 1 p.m., we decided to have lunch in their fantastic restaurant, which features an enormous plate-glass viewing window and serves outstanding food.
We shared a plate of orrichiete -- served with ricotta, spinach and cherry tomato -- and a roasted duck, served with incredibly rich lentils. Lav had the 2004 Lake Hayes Sauvignon Blanc (savory roasted cashews on the nose... dry and smooth, lime zest, but only a medium body with short length), and I had a glass of the 2003 Amisfield Pinot Noir (super earthy nose, wet earth, ultra-ripe and juicy fruit with a light and toasty finish, but the body was relatively light).
Completely satiated, it was now time to head off to Queenstown and face our destiny... the bungy jump. This was the thing that we'd been looking forward to the whole trip (whether out of excited anticipation or pure dread). How was it going to feel to throw ourselves off a ledge voluntarily, with only an elastic cord to rely on? Of course, as we rode the gondola up to the jumping ledge, we heard the screams of an unseen bungy jumper as he descended on his freefall. Great. Just great. At least the views are nice.
So we did it! It all went so fast... buckle in, countdown, run and jump of the ledge, flying through the air, heading very quickly for the ground below, some screaming, and then BOUNCE right back up. I don't know if there's a whole lot more to say other than the jump was one of the coolest things we've ever done. We were able to post a really short video clip of my bungy jump, taken by Lav from the platform. Unfortunately, you don't get to see the whole jump because of the vantage point... you just get to see me heave myself off the ledge and let out a scream. Right after that happens, you hear Lav yelp in the background. Click on the image below to download the video (about 2 megs).
[SORRY DUDES, I HAD TO TAKE DOWN THE VIDEO CLIP BECAUSE THE VIEWINGS WERE EXCEEDING OUR DAILY DOWNLOAD BANDWIDTH LIMIT ON THIS WEBSITE. BUMMER!]
Here's a picture of Lav taking her flying leap (video to be posted later). She let out the most terrified scream I've ever heard her make Thankfully, it's all captured perfectly on our DVD footage of the jumps.
Here we are, post-jump, alive and relieved that our bungy cords didn't snap. That has to be one of the freakiest things ever, especially the first time you jump. Lav still can't belive she did it... She doesn't even like to do trust falls! The jump left us both tingling with the thrill, and I sorta want to do it again so I can try different types of jumps. I think Lav's had her fill of it though. Definitely a must-do activity if you're in Queenstown!
