New Chief Winemaker Julian Grounds was an inspired if slightly avant-garde choice after the previous sets of steady hands that had driven Craggy’s reputation for very well mannered, classical wines with no edges, with a strong following amongst those who enjoy the slightly old school luxurious vibe of the Prestige Collection. Julian is clearly mindful of the pedigree and weight of expectation attached to the Prestige range, seeking to make changes slowly rather than a lurch into the unknown, but it’s also clear from the wines that he’s brought a new energy.
Author: emma
An oldie and it’s a goodie
I was expecting to have to put on my diplomatic face when discussing this wine, navigating through it looking fade
You say Te Mata…
Te Mata has a long-established and rather enviable reputation in New Zealand but appear not to rest upon their laurels nor resist change. The past few years have seen the passing of the torch from long-time senior winemaker Peter Cowley to Phil Brodie – a seamless transition given Phil’s near 30-year tenure making wine at Te Mata…
2017 Doctors Flat Pinot Noir
Davies makes tiny quantities of just the one wine (so tiny that when Steve once opened up the shipping container behind his house to reveal all 14 barrels, I felt almost embarrassed to be withdrawing any wine for tasting).
Pleasures old and new – 2014 Felton Road Bannockburn Chardonnay
As someone who cannot resist adding yet another book to already teetering piles, the creeping fear of needing to live to 500 to read them all is very real. The pleasure then of rereading a favourite book is an infrequent one, but when it occurs it is a very real pleasure indeed.
The Landing and Helio Chardonnays
It’s always fun when new faces and places cross one’s path. This week, the Landing Chardonnay made for the first entry of a Bay of Islands wine into my tasting spreadsheet, and Hawke’s Bay producer Helio was also a new name to me.
Etna-tastic
Wine remains one of a few products transparently connected to its place of origin, telling that story via its soil, climate and the people who coax it from vine to bottle. This link from producer to consumer can get overlooked even by those of us who love and obsess over wine.
Thoughts on Chardonnay
The recent arrival of a couple of high profile 2018 Hawke’s Bay chardonnays piqued my interest and I thought it might be interesting to add a couple of other 2018s from different regions. It turned out to be a mini masterclass in the stylistic debate that has been raging around chardonnay the past few years.
2018 New Zealand Syrah
In mid-December, I was invited by Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers to join a tasting of 2018 Syrah put on for jancisrobinson.com’s Richard Hemming MW, who was visiting New Zealand after attending the Master of Wine Education Seminar in Adelaide.
The future…it’s organic.
While organic and biodynamic wine by volume makes up about 6% of the total wine made in New Zealand, it seems to make up 100% of the marketing material NZ Winegrowers pumps out.
Beating the Aussies again…mostly.
Trans-Tasman rivalry is an enduring feature of Australia and New Zealand’s relationship, a (mostly) friendly tug-of war played out in sports, politics and bad jokes.
It’s all Greek to me
Mention Greek wine and most people think Retsina. While in some respects this distinctive pine-infused white represents much of Greek wine (history, individuality, rusticity) it is also a very narrow lens through which to view a fascinating and dynamic wine industry.