I had the chance to duck out to the Gibbston Valley yesterday on a rainy, miserable Sunday, to visit four wineries: The Winehouse (not really a winery but a cellar door for several wineries), Chard Farm, Gibbston Valley Wines and Peregrine. No official notes were taken, but here are my brief thoughts from the trip.
Starting at the Queenstown end of the Gibbston and working our way back, we first visited the Winehouse and Kitchen, a cellar door facility for Rock Ferry, Van Asch and Freefall wines that also doubles as a classy little restaurant. It’s located right next to the AJ Hackett Bungy and the views of the surrounding gorge are magnificent, as is the landscaping and atmosphere of the facility itself. Rock Ferry is a label owned by Tom Hutchinson and based out of Marlborough, though they do have a 20ha vineyard in Bendigo that they also make wine from (the Viognier is from this vineyard). Van Asch wines are those of Henry Van Asch who set up the bungy business with AJ Hackett and the Freefall Wines are his second tier brand.
We were permitted five wines to taste (for $7) and I went for the 2007 Rock Ferry Riesling, 2008(?) Van Asch Riesling, 2008 Rock Ferry Viognier, 2008 Van Asch Rose and the 2007 Van Asch Pinot Noir. A couple of Freefall Pinots were also snuck in, along with a 2006 Van Asch Pinot Noir. The Rock Ferry Riesling stood out and was in fact one of my favourite wines from the day of tasting. A drier style (nice to see), with lovely weight and texture but remaining lithe, crisp and clean. The Viognier follows a similar script and is certainly one to look out for. I preferred the 2006 Van Asch Pinot to the 2007; the latter just too young and closed.
After surviving the hairy drive that winds up the cliffside of the gorge to Chard Farm, we tasted through most of the range (no charge for tasting, though a gold coin donation is recommended if no purchase is made). I thought the bubbly (a special wine made for the 21st anniversary of Chard Farm wines) was terrific, a 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, that was very yeasty with some definite development from a long maturation on lees. A surprising start, though the label may need some work… Tasting through the range of whites and reds, the Gewurz stood out as a classy example of the variety, with the Rose a little disappointing. The 2006 Viper and Tiger Pinot Noirs (the flagships) are classic Pinots of the vintage, markedly different to the textural and fleshy 2005s, boasting more structure for mine and savoury qualities as well. Neither better nor worse than their predecessors, just different wines that will appeal to different people.
At Gibbston Valley Wines our time was short-lived, with the option to pay for a tasting plate of four wines, but instead I politely asked for just a taste of the 2007 Le Fou Riesling and the cellar door staff kindly obliged. This was a wine I had been very eager to try after hearing a couple of rave reviews. Regrettably, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I’m not a big fan of the sherbert, bath-salt style aromatics of certain Rieslings, which pushed me away from the aromatics straight away. It’s made in the classic off-dry style, with some nicely tangy acidity, but again the flavours seem candied and sugar-coated, with the sugar and acidity failing to unite. All this, with some astringency and bitterness on the finish, and I wasn’t a big fan. I should qualify this by saying that my disagreeance was the result more of a stylistic clash than any obvious faults or quality issues with the wine.
Last stop was Peregrine that seemed the busiest of all the cellar doors visited. Like Chard Farm, there was no charge for tasting here (something I strongly believe in). We worked our way through the range, starting with two Rieslings (the drier one and the sweeter Rastasburn, where I preferred the former), followed by two Pinot Gris. We tried the standard Pinot Gris and the new “Karearea” Pinot Gris (the Maori equivalent of Peregrine), a top-end version made in a full, dry style utilizing premium fruit and this was a stellar Pinot Gris (a comment I don’t make lightly, given my usual cynicism of this variety); beautiful texture, weight and fruit intensity on the palate. I then chose to move straight into the Pinots, where we tried a 2005 Saddleback (the second tier range), 2007 Peregrine and 2007 Peregrine Karearea. The Saddleback seemed a little tired and over the hill (a slight surprise given the vivacity of the vintage), the 2007 Peregrine still in need of some extra bottle time (the 2006 is drinking superbly) and the Karearea was brilliant; this is the sort of wine that is positioned as a premium version (priced at $65) and it will hold its own against some of the best from the region. Gorgeous dark berry fruit aromatics - brooding a little - with textural layers and a seamless quality in the mouth, finishing with fine, sweet tannins.
So that wrapped up the little wine-tasting journey, with the first and last wines my picks of the day.
One of my first 2008 Rieslings and if this wine is anything to go by, the outlook is very encouraging for this vintage.
The nose speaks of that quintessential Central Otago lime, with a fruit bowl of other citrus in tow and, interestingly, some spice and pear characters. Quite a delight to sniff. It’s a wine that’s worth warming up and not serving too cold, plus it seems to have developed (for the better) on the second night after a sleepover in the fridge.
The palate has also softened out, losing some of that slight spritzig and nervy, racy acidity. Look for this in the first glass and enjoy its evolution. The flavours on the palate don’t necessarily mirror the punch or intensity of the aromatics, though perhaps this is a blessing, allowing a more casual, broader and gentler experience in the mouth. Allowed to retain some residual sugar in the classic NZ off-dry style, the balance is exceptional and bodes well for the wine’s longevity.
Finishing long and cleansing - the acidity almost crunchy - it’s a delicious wine and has reinforced my thoughts on Chard Farm as a quiet over-achiever in the Riesling arena. Great Summer drinking.
Starting out strong here is likely a good way to introduce myself to the Vinoculation hordes. So much pressure for such a new writer, how does one avoid buckling under the pressure? I think it might be a good idea to start with a brief self portrait, so that you, oh faithful readers, have some idea of who happens to be going on and on about this or that gorgeous nuance in his glass. Oh, the terroir. I can smell it now.
If we want to put forward professional, or at least paper credentials, to a name, I am the proud recipient/owner/experiencer of the following: WSET Advanced Diploma, Spanish Wine Educator certification through the Spanish Wine Institute, and have spent the past 4 years as a wine merchant in Vancouver, Canada. I have built store inventory from nil to 2000+ labels, with options from lowly bulk wine to back vintages from classic wine regions. I’ve managed and served in fine restaurants before that, and before that still I apprenticed under a few talented chefs. If you take nothing else from this history, I hope it’s obvious that I love wine and food.
Perhaps that’s enough, but what are you looking for from a wine writer?
I suppose what I’m getting at is that, despite all of the above, you have few guarantees when it comes to the quality of my writing and palate. Gladly, such a statement applies just as readily to an unopened bottle of wine. There is no way to guarantee the quality of an item by seeing it from the outside; one needs to get in to it, get it inside, and gain direct experiential knowledge of the thing. When it comes to my writing, as with wine, everyone can judge for themselves through reading and comparing against experience. If good wine never shows poorly, likewise with writing.
So to wrap up, I look forward to sharing my experiences with you, faithful readers. I look forward to hearing of your experiences, and comparing them to my own as I explore this beautiful country and its wines. The quest for interesting, good wine is a thirsty one; may it never be quenched!
Another wine from the stables of Wallington in the Central Ranges of New South Wales. This boutique outfit also makes olive oil and is currently progressing through organic conversion. Nice.
I’m unsure what “Rockdell” refers to, other than the obvious that the fruit is sourced from a rocky dell or valley. This blend is made up of roughly equal thirds Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre with just a smidge of Petit Verdot. The nose smacks you with an uppercut of ripe, plummy fruit, both red and black spectrum, with hints of tar, liquorice, pepper, prune and leather.
Deft acid handling keeps the palate lively and vibrant, showcasing the swathes of fresh and dried berry fruit, with the oak adding some richness and depth to the tannin. The front-palate mouthfeel begins slippery and slick, gaining some coarser traction as it spreads throughout and finishes slightly chewy, robust with grainy tannins. It’s a rustic style that captures the typicity of the blend well, best drunk with food as a young wine (a rare rump steak worked well in my case). This is definitely a cellar-worthy prospect, built with oodles of structure, and sure to be even more interesting and enjoyable in a decade’s time.
Let me first qualify this post.
I love Mount Edward. I love Alan Brady, I love Duncan Forsyth, I love that they are going through organic conversion. Me likey.
But I do have high expectations. The 2007 Morrison Vineyard Pinot came across the tasting bench and I had to steady myself. This is a single vineyard Pinot from Mount Edward’s Lowburn vineyard. Lownburn is a subregion of Central Otago that seems to capture some intense heat and a little more rain than say Bannockburn or Bendigo, given its proximity to the Pisa Ranges. Straight examples of Lowburn fruit are few and far between, so this is an exciting release.
The wine exudes intense fruit aromas of macerated black cherries with the odd blackberry and boysenberry thrown in for good measure. It’s still very primary, as one would expect, having been in bottle less than a year. There’s an enticing floral element to the nose too, accompanied by sweet vanillin and briar. It’s a nose that speaks of the wine’s origins; far from being a stalky, gamey, leathery Pinot of the Old World, the fruit is so gorgeously attractive and ripe, so much so that you can almost taste the luxuriously fleshy and velvet texture just from a sniff.
In the mouth, it’s a seamless love story from start to finish. Silky, polished and all other verbose descriptors that conjure up thoughts of a freshly waxed sports car or similar; this wine is it. It’s scarily approachable on the palate for its youth, borne of a structure with impeccable balance right from the word go. More black-spectrum berry fruit, with a deft spicyness that plays attractively with the subtle acidity. The tannins on the first mouthful are very, very fine, so after a few more sips it was pleasing to find that they bulk up somewhat, which is how I like my tannins in Pinot. Great length with mulberry-esque qualities and all in all, a delicious Pinot. I really think this is a wine that will drink best in its first five years, but I’d love to be proven wrong. Only 48 cases made (!) and I suspect it has already sold out, but a great time to join the Mount Edward mailing list nonetheless.