A recent trip home to New Zealand to see family and friends gave me the perfect opportunity to visit the four wineries that we represent. Despite all being located in different parts of the country, the common thread that unites these four estates is great people making great wine. In contrast to our cold and snowy winter, New Zealand had been enjoying a fantastic, warm summer and everyone that I spoke to was very happy with how the 2011 vintage was progressing. In fact, in most vineyards veraison was well under way, about two weeks ahead of schedule, and things were looking very promising.
Michael, Melba, Paul and Marijana Brajkovich outside the Kumeu River cellar door
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Kumeu River (Auckland)
My first stop was Kumeu River, which is conveniently located about 18 miles from my parents’ house in central Auckland. The entire Brajkovich family, minus Milan who was on holiday, was on hand to welcome me. Winemaker Michael gave me a conducted tour of the winery and explained his winemaking philosophy that allows him to make such world class Chardonnays. Michael and Paul then guided me through a comparative tasting of the 2008s (which we are currently selling) versus the soon-to-be-released 2009s. The 2009s have wonderful minerality and acidity combined with characteristic purity of fruit and complexity and, for me, the Hunting Hill was the standout in a thoroughly impressive range of wines.
The stunning line-up of 2008 vs. 2009
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The tasting concluded with a bottle of the 2004 Maté’s Vineyard Chardonnay which, despite benefitting from some bottle age, was still fresh and full of life, displaying lovely aromas of grapefruit and stone fruits interspersed with subtle oak and a long lingering finish. This only served to reiterate that these are serious wines that benefit from careful cellaring, just like a great white Burgundy. We then all sat down to a family lunch and enjoyed some great steaks cooked on the BBQ matched with an aged bottle of "Melba", a Merlot/Malbec blend named in honour of the family's matriarch.
Sam and I amongst the vines on The Abyss block in picturesque vineyard |
Churton (Marlborough)
I arrived at Sam and Mandy Weaver’s home first thing Monday morning, having flown down from Auckland the night before. Sam didn’t hesitate to take me straight up to the vineyard to do a walk through with vineyard manager, Warren Burton, to check on the fruit after an uncharacteristic drop of rain. The first thing that you notice about the picturesque Churton vineyard is that it is situated on undulating hills, overlooking the flat Waihopai Valley floor where the more commercial vineyards are situated. You could be mistaken for thinking that you were in Burgundy or Champagne rather than Marlborough. A few hours walking through each block revealed that the vintage is coming along nicely so we then visited the winery to taste the 2010 vintage from barrel.
A tasting of various vintages including 2003 Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir
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I was impressed with the quality of the samples that we tasted and Sam feels that it might be possible to make their single vineyard Pinot Noir “The Abyss” again. We then returned home so that Sam could show me just how well his unique wines age. I was amazed to see both 2003 Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir in the line up as the general consensus is that Marlborough Sauvignon needs to be drunk within a year of vintage. What a pleasant surprise! The 2003 SB displayed lovely honeyed notes on the nose, not the typical canned vegetables that one would normally expect, and the palate was rich and textured but still very crisp and fresh. I happily finished off the delicious 2003 PN with some rib eye, perfectly-cooked on the BBQ, from a calf that had been grown on their property.
The breath-taking Central Otago landscape
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Felton Road (Central Otago)
From Marlborough is was a short flight down to Queenstown, passing over the snow-capped Southern Alps. The 30-odd mile drive from Queenstown to Bannockburn is worth doing purely for the breath-taking and dramatic scenery. Leaving Queenstown with the The Remarkables mountain range on your right, the road passes Lake Hayes and the Gibbston Valley before snaking along the Kawarau River gorge, passing the craggy outcrop of Nevis Bluff and historic goldfields before arriving in the Cromwell basin. However, when you know that a wine tasting at Felton Road is at the end of your drive, it becomes all the more worthwhile. I arrived just in time to taste a selection of 2010 barrel samples from the Cornish Point vineyard with winemaker Blair Walter and assistant winemaker Todd Stevens. Each clone is vinified separately and those that best represent the terroir and character of the vineyard are selected for the final blend and it was a real privilege to sit in on this tasting.
The Felton Road winery nestled into the Bannockburn hillside
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Blair then took me up into the vineyard to show me how me how their organic and bio-dynamic approach results in healthy vines and, therefore, high quality fruit which effortlessly translates into magnificent wines that truly express their terroir. We then embarked on a quick tour of their gravity-fed winery before returning back to the tasting room to try their 2009 whites (I had already tasted the reds in London) plus a bottle of 1999 Block 1 Riesling that Blair had earlier procured from their “library”. I left Felton Road captivated by the beautiful scenery and very impressed with their wines.
The impressive Giants winery at the foot of Te Mata peak and the Craggy Range
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Craggy Range (Hawke's Bay)
My last port of call before returning to the UK was Craggy Range, located in the Hawke’s Bay, a good five hours’ drive from Auckland. Upon arrival at the impressive Giants winery, located at the foot of the awe-inspiring Te Mata Peak, I was driven over to the Gimblett Gravels by marketing manager Michael Henley to inspect the vineyards and taste the 2010 reds at their state-of-the-art Gimblett Gravels winery with winemaker Rod Easthope. Michael later joined me for dinner at Terroir, Craggy's award-winning restaurant, back at the main winery. Over some expertly cooked, delicious regional produce, I was treated to 2005 “Les Beaux Cailloux“ Chardonnay, one of the last remaining bottles of 2003 “My Selection “ Pinot Noir and we concluded the meal with a bottle of 2002 “Sophia“ Merlot/Cabernet.
Steve Smith leads me through a tasting of Craggy's impressive portfolio of wines
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After a good night’s sleep at the cellarmaster’s cottage, nestled in between the vines, I returned to the winery to meet Craggy’s wine and viticulture director, Steve Smith, to taste their latest releases - the 2010 whites and 2009 reds, which we tasted alongside the 2008 reds. Although we focus on their Gimblett Gravel wines (Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah) the quality in everything they make was apparent. Great wine is made in the vineyard and their expert winemakers allow each vineyard to truly express itself in the glass. I'd like to thank everyone mentioned above for such generous hospitality and, after such a great trip, I'm sure it won't be along until I head back home again!
