New Zealand Follies
A short sojourn to New Zealand’s South Island led to the opportunity to check out a couple of vinous samples in the Marlborough region for our Sips Scribe, Tony Cox.
Kicking off at Dog Point, a family run operation situated on the southern side of the Wairau Valley and into the lower hills of the Southern Valleys, we had a personal tour which took us to different sites across the vineyard where we could take in the topography and aspect, appreciating why certain varietals are planted where they are, concluding with a tasting of the four wines they produce. The Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc is more citrus driven than many of the fuller examples which can drift into more tropical notes, with grapefruit and stone fruit notes to the fore, and a slight smoky edge with a cleansing acid line.
Comparatively, the Section 94 Sauvignon is a different beast altogether – it’s more about texture and mouthfeel, a chardonnay drinker’s sauvignon perhaps? Whereas the regular sauvignon is fermented entirely in stainless steel the Section 94 is fermented and aged in older French oak barrels for 18 months. As older oak imparts no wood flavour it is all about the wine undergoing the gentle oxidation that a porous vessel provides, imparting a more rounded character to the wine. When you add a tropical note to the grapefruit and stone fruit flavours, roundness and smoky and flinty notes you get a very different expression of sauvignon blanc – delicious.
Dog Point Chardonnay has always been a firm favourite in your scribe’s household as their chardonnay is fermented in oak, 10% of which is new, with a portion undergoing malolactic fermentation to create more roundness. Citrus-driven with a textured middle, a slight savoury and saline edge results in a chardonnay that whilst drinking well now can easily go another six or so years in the cellar.
The last 20 to 25 years have seen pinot noir clones for still wine production planted on the clay soils of the southern valleys as opposed to earlier efforts which usually featured sparkling clones. As such, Dog Point’s Pinot Noir has plenty of red fruits with an earthy, slightly savoury and spicy mid palate. Integrated tannins and fine acidity thread the back palate together to close. Your scribe sees pinot noir from Marlborough being an area to keep an eye on as two decades of knowledge around site, fruit spectrum etc is quite short in viticultural terms and with greater knowledge will come even better wines.
Just as important, I can’t wait to try the olive oil from trees on the vineyard which the owners use for themselves and gifts, not for commercial purposes. The commitment to quality is enviable, with all grapes being handpicked and organically grown. Whilst they may not seek certification for every market they sell into, as criteria vary from country to country as to what is deemed to be organic, you can sip in the surety that the wines are exactly as nature intended them to be.
Our small group continued onto Villa Maria where we had the opportunity to try a range of chardonnays from different regions: Gisborne and Hawkes Bay from the North Island, Marlborough from the South Island, listed north to south. All were from the 2021 vintage. McDiarmid Hill, from Gisborne, was the most opulent of the three wines, given it is the most northerly of the three vineyards it isn’t surprising. Vanilla oak flavours, generous mouthfeel and ripe fruit all in one glass. It’s been a while since I have had a chardonnay like this.
The Taylors Pass Chardonnay is from the Awatere Valley, which is the next valley south of Wairau Valley and is a fraction cooler. It is much more restrained with citrus notes, creamy mid palate and subtle oak use. Keltern Chardonnay, from Hawkes Bay, was my pick of the three. Melon and citrus notes, rounded, slightly creamy nuances with nuttiness evident and a persistent acid line to close. Seriously good booze! We also tried the 2019 Taylors Pass Pinot Noir from a warm year, which was in a nice place.
The 2018 Reserve Cabernet Merlot from Hawkes Bay highlighted how good Bordeaux varietals can be from New Zealand with classic characters of cassis, shavings and a pronounced dustiness, medium weight with integrated tannins – a lovely wine with several years ahead of it. It may not be cheap, but to see the pinnacle of Bordeaux varietals in New Zealand is amazing. If you ever get the chance to try Te Mata Coleraine, do it – preferably if someone else is picking up the tab.
What better way to conclude than to freshen the palate with a bit of bubbles at Nautilus. Their N.V. Brut Cuvee is pinot noir dominant and has extended lees ageing 36 months, which provides complex, yeasty, biscuity notes with long acidity. The chief winemaker, Clive, took us out the back for a personalised tour of their dedicated pinot noir facility where they keep individual parcels separate prior to either blending into the final wine or keeping it separate for a single vineyard offering. Launching into a barrel tasting, we tried wines where there were varying degrees of whole bunches utilised which impacts upon the savouriness of the wine. The biggest surprise was the Nautilus Albarino, a varietal native to Galicia in northwest Spain. With stonefruit and sweet citrus notes and a beautiful acid line, it was the ideal accompaniment to seafood, such as Cloudy Bay clams or Marlborough Sounds salmon sashimi.
Overall, a wonderful day spent with great people who very generously shared their time and knowledge. Certainly worth a trip across the ditch, particularly with direct flights from Sunshine Coast Airport. Cheers and good drinking!
