With each successive vintage, Steve Davis confirms his place as one of Central’s best producers. A quietly spoken man, the wine is a good reflection of its maker; never flamboyant but showing confidence and presence.
Nautilus : new releases
In an industry preoccupied with finding the ‘next big thing’ the team at Nautilus is seemingly content to stick to what it does best ie. producing first-rate wines that acknowledge their Marlborough origins. Never straying too far from the tried and trusted, the latest releases show a deft hand with aromatic varieties.
Blackenbrook : new releases
Nelson’s Blackenbrook Vineyard is a quintessential New Zealand producer: a small, family-owned winery, owned by nice people quietly getting on with making perfectly nice wines. Ursula and Daniel Schwarzenbach farm 20ha of vineyards in the Moutere clays, where they produce a tidy suite of wines ranging from the expected to the slightly less expected.
Prophets Rock : new releases
And whilst there is absolutely no question we should pay a realistic price for wines made from carefully farmed vineyards by thoughtful winemakers, one has to wonder if it might be an uphill battle to convince pinot gris drinkers.
Burn Cottage : new releases
We eagerly anticipate the annual arrival of the new releases from Burn Cottage, a producer who has, in a relatively short period of time, mananged to produce some of New Zealand’s most thoughtful pinot noirs.
Two Paddocks : new releases
The evolution of Central Otago pinot noir has been a fascinating journey to watch. The 2002s, arguably the first vintage to really attract attention, were highly acclaimed.
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.
Church Road Tom
Church Road’s flagship white has had an evolution in style, moving away from the bolder expressions of earlier vintages towards a wine that is more taut, linear and textural.
Te Mata Alma Pinot Noir
Anyone who spent time with Peter Cowley, Te Mata’s recently retired Technical Director, would have been left in little doubt where his loyalties lay.
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.