Late Harvest Riesling | amarchinthevines

April 9, 2018
by amarch34 2 Comments

A Tour Down Under, Marlborough

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The most famous wine region of New Zealand, Marlborough, is found in the north East corner of South Island. No less than 77% of the country’s wine originates from Marlborough, around the towns of Blenheim and Renwick in particular. Factor in the fact that 85% of Marlborough’s grapes are Sauvignon Blanc and we begin to see the importance of this variety to the reputation of wines from the region and, indeed, the rest of the country.

Certainly, the region is very different to Nelson, the focus of my last blog. There the vineyards are part of a much bigger agricultural scene, fruit orchards, hops, cattle and sheep mix with vineyards in the Nelson area to create a true pastoral landscape, e.g. in the Moutere Valley.

Journeying into Marlborough across the hills from Nelson the vines do not appear until shortly before reaching Renwick. But then vines stand, row after row, mile after mile. Wineries which put the country on the world wine scene stand side by side, Wither Hills with its many vineyards, Hunter’s, Villa Maria are all producers which played a major role in my personal learning about wine and, especially, wines from New Zealand.

The winery which first drew attention to and recognition of the potential of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was Cloudy Bay. Named after the beautiful bay to the East of the vineyards. This winery now produces a number of different wines but it was the Sauvignon which really made its name and established New Zealand as a quality producer. Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is also the long time favourite of my wife so a visit was obligatory.

Cloudy Bay itself

A very professional tasting room and comfortable garden allowed us to taste the celebrated Sauvignon 2017 which was classic Cloudy Bay but also the oaked version Te Koko 2014 which wears its wood ageing well. In addition we were able to taste a rare old version of the Sauvignon, from 2005. There was still plenty of acidity, the wine had become a little flabbier but had a dry finish. Not many bottles of 12 year old Cloudy Bay still exist I’d imagine, it was interesting to see that they do age quite well though I would drink any bottles younger. Pelorus NV sparkling wine and the Pelorus vintage 2010 (only available at the cellar) were both pleasant enough, the latter definitely had more weight and flavour. Chardonnay 15 was wild fermented in barrel (82% of it at least) and the oak was subtly done, a good example of the grape.

Herbicides and machine harvesting but a lovely setting

On to reds and the Pinot Noir 15 was very good, one of the best Pinots of the trip so far, fresh, fruity, juicy with good length. The Pinot Noir 2010 had already gone the way of so many older NZ Pinots, all forest floor and mushroom. It obviously appeals to Kiwis but not to this Rosbif. Neither did the Central Otago sourced Pinot Te Wahi 15, there was some rose scented fruit but this was very oaky and tannic, again not my style. There was also a very good Late Harvest Riesling, good Riesling notes, acidity balancing the sweetness.

Interestingly, Cloudy Bay has made the decision to reduce the varieties it uses. Riesling and Pinot Gris are out, they will concentrate on Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir alone. Cloudy Bay owns 50% of the vineyards it uses to make its wines and works with growers for the other 50%. This is common in the region, growers provide the grapes, the winery gives instructions on how they want the vines to be tended.

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There are wineries which grow all their own grapes and I visited two, both organic producers. I had tasted Fromm wines before, notably a very nice Sauvignon Blanc La Strada 2016. On this visit we mainly concentrated on reds. Pinot Noir La Strada 16 was a little unforgiving to my taste, not much fruit showing. For once the older wine was more to my taste, the La Strada 10 being more open and balanced, red fruits and just a little earthiness. On to two single vineyard Pinot Noirs. Churton 16, more weight and concentration than the entry level, still very young and tight. Quarters 16 was different, more spicy and fruity, grown on more clay soils than the Churton. On to Syrah and I liked the La Strada 16 with its peppery, spicy notes and more friendly flavours. The Fromm Syrah 16 was more concentrated with rich pepper notes, quite tannic still, I am sure this will be very good. I must add that Syrah has been my favourite grape amongst red wines in New Zealand.

Fromm vines

Two white wines to finish, the highlight of the tasting for me was the Riesling Spätlese 17, well named being very much in the style of a Mosel spätlese, lovely apple fruit with zingy acidity and a lick of sweetness too. Finally, a Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 15 had classic aromas of the grape, spicy and floral but the wine had very fresh acidity cutting through the sweetness. Apparently this variety suffered in 2018 but I liked this wine, very well made.

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My favourite visit of the day though was undoubtedly to Hans Herzog. The domaine is next to the Wairau river on one vineyard which the Herzogs have planted with lots of different grape varieties. They have planned this carefully so that sunnier aspects get grapes such as Montepulciano and Tempranillo whilst cooler areas are planted with white grapes and Pinot Noir. The plan makes for fascinating reading.

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This is a biodynamic domaine and only a small amount of SO2 is added at bottling, these would qualify as natural wines for many people though I was surprised that harvesting is mostly by machine. There is a beautiful restaurant in the gardens next to the vines, with a splendid trellis supporting lots of different grape varieties and notes to explain each one. A treat for those, like me, who love to study ampelography. The food was very good too.

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The Herzogs are Swiss and Hans comes from a family of winemakers of long standing. It was a young Swiss woman, Petra, who gave us a very generous tasting. Wild Gewurztraminer 2017 is named after its open fermentation and longer period on skins. It had vibrant aromas in the glass, spicy and dry flavours, a real treat and a sign of good things to come. Pinot Gris 16, 5 days on skins, was apple and pear notes, lovely and fresh.

Very ripe Roussanne grapes

The Sauvignon Blanc 15 was made on lees which are stirred and there was a yeasty aroma to the wine which was very dry and quite textural, one of those rare wines which actually tasted of …. grapes. Very good. A sparkling rosé wine to follow, Cuvée Therese made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with red fruit notes and a dry finish. Finally Gruner Veltliner 14, yellow in colour, pear and quince aromas and lovely texture and clean finish, lovely.

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On to the reds. Pinot Noir 2011 was macerated 18 days on skins, aged for two years in bottle. My favourite Pinot Noir of New Zealand so far, fresh, vibrant spicy red fruit with a balancing acidity and complexity and gentle tannins. This is how Pinot Noir should be in my opinion. Tempranillo 14 was a lovely surprise. This is not a grape I usually like that much but this example was just lovely. The light red fruity notes of a young Rioja but without any oaky notes even though it was aged in barrels for 22 months. Energetic, lively, smashable. Spirit of Marlborough 09 is a Bordeaux style wine made from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 26 months in barrel and then more years in bottle. Again this would not be my favourite style of wine but somehow this works. Finally, and definitely worth waiting for, was the Nebbiolo 2013. Petra told us that this was the wine which is opened as a treat at the end of harvest, only one barrel was made. It is a stunning wine, easily my favourite in this New Zealand trip. Aromas of rose and fresh tropical fruits (yes in a red wine) and then, amazingly, hints of peach and apricot as well as red fruits. Light in the mouth yet with concentrated, long flavours. I loved this wine and was very impressed by the range, there is a real energy and vivacity in them. So different to a lot of the more commercial wines produced in the area and, hopefully, a sign that quality will win through.

Ampelography lesson over lunch, perfect!

December 4, 2015
by amarch34 3 Comments

Whole wide world

Picking up on the last post about the Edinburgh Wine Gang event. The disappointing show by Languedoc wines (and no show by Roussillon wines) was a real awakening to how little the region is known in the UK. Moreover, in supermarkets and in wine column recommendations are lots of cheaper wines, IGP pays d’oc wines or wines from the big négociants reinforcing the image of the region as a supplier of uncomplicated plonk, quantity over quality. Far from the truth as I know it but that seems to be the view from across the Channel.

Equally noticeable by their absence were natural wines. Indeed I encountered only one example and that almost by chance. I tasted a wine which I really liked and was then told by Master Sommelier Matthieu Longuere that it was Rkatsiteli 1011 from the Georgian Alaverdi Monastery made traditionally in qvevris*. (The date refers to the first date at which wine was made there). This is made without sulphur or any other additive as the monks see additives as impurities unworthy of God. It was a very natural style, hugely complex but beautifully fruity and direct. My wife did not like it at all but I loved it, up with the Cayetano del Pino Palo Cortado mentioned in the previous article. Again though, it was the exception to the rule that natural wines are making little inroads to the UK market outside London.

*for more information on qvevris and the monastery see this article or p306 of the winelist of Cave De Pyrène.

Oh, the Turkish wine mentioned in the previous article. Kalecik Karasi 2012 from Anatolia was Pinot like in its pale colour. However it had powerful structure, spicy aromas and almost chocolate flavours but quite tough tannins. Nice, (£9.50).

The highlight of the day however was the series of Masterclasses. There was an interesting one from the sommelier mentioned above about how a sommelier would select wines for various tastes, to create discussion and at different stages of a meal. Interesting insights.

Sommelier masterclass wines

Matthieu Longuere

The other three featured very Anglophone wine producers. Wynns is one of the most highly rated of Australian wineries established in 1891 in the Coonawarra region of South Australia, famous for its Terra Rossa soils. We tend to think of Australia as hot and its wines as full, rich and powerful. Wynns is however in a cool region and the climate and soil are reflected in the freshness and more European style of its wines.

Wynns winemaker Sue Hodder

Sue Hodder the long term winemaker at Wynns, was present in Edinburgh to show the wines and explain their production and style. And there is definitely a house style. These Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines are balanced, restrained and for the long term.

The full list of wines tasted is seen in the photo above. I found the wines quite austere especially the Cabernets but this was probably a sentiment created by expectation of a richer style. I did like the house style and its elegance but my favourite wines were undoubtedly those involving Shiraz.

The Michael Shiraz 2012 was rounder and fruitier yet still restrained and with fine tannins. Even better was V&A Lane Cabernet / Shiraz 2010 with deep red fruits and spicier aromas. The grapes are fermented together and the aim said Hodder was to give a sense of place as well as cépage and the wine succeeds on all levels. Riddoch is the top wine of the domaine (Cabernet 100%) and the 2012 was still in its infancy. More interesting in terms of flavours, aromas and because of its age was Riddoch 1984 with black cherry notes and, of course, freshness. Definitely secondary or tertiary rather than primary fruits it was a real pleasure to taste this wine. A lovely tasting.

Cloudy Bay from New Zealand is one of the most famous names in the UK market. Only 30 years old, in reality the winery soon established its name in the UK because of one wine, its Sauvignon Blanc with its revolutionary tropical fruits and upfront style compared to the Sauvignons of the Loire. Time was when this wine was rationed, I remember having to buy other wines just to be allowed one bottle of the SB! Expansion of the vineyards and competition from other NZ estates has ended that madness and the price remains around the same as it was 15 years ago. Its influence on Sauvignon Blanc around the world should not be underestimated however, even the Loire changed its style in response to the popularity of the newcomers.

Tom Cannavan did an excellent job in leading the tasting providing real insight and technical know how. The Sauvignon Blanc 2015 was a classic example with hallmark tropical characters and freshness. I did find most of these wines over expensive for the quality and rather too oak influenced. Sometimes the oak works such as Te Koko 2012, the oak aged Sauvignon, where the wood definitely adds some interest but the Pinot Noir 2013 and Chardonnay 2013 were both very oaky and lacked pleasure, £30 and £26 respectively!! The Central Otago Pinot Noir Te Wahi 2011 was much better and Burgundian but at £62.50 I could find better even in that expensive region. Best of the tasting was undoubtedly the Late Harvest Riesling 2009, with classic Riesling aromas and flavours wrapped around some the sweetness and leaving a freshness in the mouth. Very good, though £18 per half bottle.

And so to the UK. There is an increasing buzz around UK wine, or rather English wine. Nyetimber was one of the pioneers of that interest and it has recently scored very highly in tastings of sparkling wine around the world, including in comparison with Champagne. I have tasted it a couple of times before but this was an excellent opportunity to taste the range with some older vintages included.

The Classic Cuvée was represented by 2010 and 2009, they are slightly different in nature, 2010 being Pinot Noir dominant and 2009 being Chardonnay dominant. I liked both though preferred the rounder toastier 2009. Both retail at around £29-30 so not cheap. We tasted three Blanc De Blancs, 2007, 2003 and 1998. That was a treat, to be given the opportunity to taste vertically but especially such old wines. I liked the 07, still fresh but perhaps a little too harsh for me. The 03 and 98 both carried very savoury, almost mushroom, aromas and flavours. The 03 settled in glass and filled out with some bready, autolytic notes. I did not like the 1998, just too savoury for me though many in the room chose it as their favourite wine of the tasting.

The Rosé NV was too neutral for me, again others chose it as their favourite so this is a personal opinion. It was very dark, we were told by the Nyetimber representative that the winemakers (husband and wife team Cherie Spriggs and Brad Greatrex) blend by tasting in black glasses to ensure quality of flavour rather than colour. The Demi-Sec (100% Chardonnay) with 44g of dosage was fresh with a little sweetness. Best of the lot for me was the Tillington Single Vineyard 2009. 79% Pinot Noir, it had real character, more fruit yet still clean and toasty after 3 years on lees. Very good, but sadly at £75 I won’t be rushing to buy it. I liked Nyetimber but confess to being a little underwhelmed in comparison with the hype and those prices!

Overall, a very good day. It was good to taste different wines from around the world rather than my usual Languedocs. The masterclasses were all very good and wines such as the Palo Cortado and Georgian wine were well worth the soaking given by the foul weather outside.