Reaching Noirvana

When the subject of pinot noir comes up in conversation I’d like to have a dollar for every time I’m told that “It’s a bugger of a thing to grow, and it’s bloody hard to make”, because by now I’d be a seriously wealthy woman. But clearly the love of the grape and the lure of achieving that elusive Pinot Noir-vana outweighs that frustration and keeps many a winemaker coming back for more, vintage after vintage. Most of the winemakers I speak to are happy to have just one, or possibly two pinots in their portfolio – that’s enough thank you very much. But there are some who adore making great pinot so much that one could comfortably describe them as obsessive compulsive. A moniker that doesn’t worry the people at Seresin in Marlborough one bit, in fact they’re so proud of their pinot-mania that they’re in the process of releasing not one, not two, but six individual pinot noirs. “Pinot Noir is the most beautiful grape and potentially the most beautiful wine in the world, I love it. It’s called the heart-break grape for good reason, it is a challenge to make and an even bigger challenge to grow but the quest to make the best possible Pinot Noir is something all of us at Seresin are driven by” says Michael Seresin, owner of Seresin Estate.

The six wines hail from 2007, which was the culmination of new winemaker Clive Dougall and vineyard manager Colin Ross’ first full growing season together. “The ‘Leah’, named for my daughter, is a blend of fruit from our three vineyards; ‘Rachel’, after my mother, is a Pinot made from the best portions available from our Estate each year. From each of our three vineyards we have also produced a single vineyard wine; the ‘Tatou’, ‘Home’ and ‘Raupo Creek’ Pinot Noir illustrate the characteristics of our different sites and soils” explains Seresin.

Put simply pinot noir is a bit like marmite because it polarises people; they either love it or hate it. The flavours are not often clear-cut; they’re mysterious and haunting, savoury, spicy, floral or chocolatey; black tea, black cherry or both? You may find it to be fruity, earthy and fungal all in the same glass. And good pinot isn’t cheap either, why? See paragraph one, sentence one. But I adore it; and as I tasted my way through one excellent wine after another, it became clear that the fruit from 2007 had given Seresin some rather spectacular juice to work with. But it was just one sip of the very last wine that prompted me to put down the glass and sit back in awe. “The unique conditions of the 2007 vintage also allowed us for the first time to make a wine we have called ‘Sun &Moon’” Michael explains, “Cropped at a minimal one bunch per shoot or less, we believe this wine to be our best expression of Pinot Noir. It will only be made when this beautiful heartbreak grape allows us”.
While I write this I want to assure you that I’m of sound mind and body. The nature of my work means I’m in the fortunate position of being able to taste many different wines on a daily basis, so by now I should be hardened, immune if you will, to emotional outbursts where wine tasting’s concerned. I’m also trying really hard not to sound like a complete Womble, but that wine moved me. It was more than the Sun & Moon, it was also the stars. Thank you Michael, thank you Clive, thank you Colin, getting my heart broken never tasted so good.

Sip of the Week

Seresin 2007 Home Pinot Noir $50.00 4 Stars
Upfront cherry and plum aromas with some lush, spicy mulberry flavours combined with ripe fruit, youthful, juicy acidity and lovely comforting warmth. Only 40 cases were made so it’s available only through the Seresin Cellar Door and http://www.seresin.co.nz/

Seresin 2007 Raupo Creek Pinot Noir $50.00 41/2 stars
Dark and inky-coloured like old blood and scented with bracken-berries and shitake mushroom. On the palate it is powerfully spicy with an undercurrent of charred oak, mace and mulberry. Moody in its youthful state, but has the breeding to blossom into a hauntingly beautiful adult I’m sure.

Seresin Tatau Marlborough Pinot Noir 2007 $50 4 stars
Ripe, fragrant raspberry, dark cherry and black tea aromas lead to distinctly spicy, earthy, brooding flavours on the palate. Smooth, lush and incredibly drinkable, but as there were less than 50 cases produced you’ll need to visit the Seresin Cellar Door and http://www.seresin.co.nz/

Seresin 2007 Rachel Pinot Noir $55.00 4½ stars
Lush, forest-floor aromas combined with dark berries and spicy, smoky, earthy notes on the palate. Supple and silky but has some solid grip on the finish. Delicious now, but will reward another 3-4 years in the cellar.

Seresin 2007 Sun & Moon Pinot Noir $120 5 stars
Dark, glossy and exotically scented. It has intensely succulent berry-fruit flavours, and nuances of black tea and pot pourri. Warm, silky and texturally solid; yet it’s also feminine and elegant on the finish. An absolutely stunning pinot that cries out for duck confit; and although it’s pricy, and there’s precious little available and it isn’t released until February 2010, don’t let that stop you from seeking it out, putting your name on the list or doing whatever it is you need to do to get one.

It's Business Time

How I’m expected to write a column while Flight of the Conchords is on telly I don’t know. So if I suddenly break into “Business Time” please forgive me. I’ve been a bit distracted by weather this past week. Normally I keep track of how the weather is panning around the nations wine regions leading up to harvest, but being based up in Hawkes Bay as I am, the feeling of nail-nibbling dread and impending mouldy doom that’s clouded the region every day for the last fortnight has had me completely consumed.
Today the thought had crossed my mind that I might’ve jinxed Hawkes Bay’s chances of achieving the vintage of the century by writing an article saying that I thought they were going to achieve the vintage of the century if the baking, dry 30-plus degree days continue; and lo, the dampness did cometh.
I guess it’s a bit like when you’re a teenager and you know there’s a party on the weekend, and you even get permission from your parents to go. So you get yourself so excited and wound-up thinking about how great and AWESOME it’s going to be that when the night actually arrives, your mates forget to pick you up so you have to walk and by the time you get there everyone has left for another party, but a girl semi passed out in the kitchen slurs that your boyfriend took off with that slapper who works at Video Ezy before passing you a hipflask of rum which you drink because you’re so heartbroken. An hour later you end up ringing your dad to come pick you up and right in the middle of him saying how disappointed he is that you woke him up at 1am you promptly throw up in the front seat of his Cortina and he grounds you for a month. But the nights that you think “ok, I’ll just go to this shindig and see how it goes” end up being absolutely epic experiences, relived in wistful memories for years to come.
But today winemakers and grapegrowers are upbeat. “The wind we’re having is keeping the rot in check” says Rob Beard of Maimai Creek vineyards in Meeanee, Napier. “But things are looking good, it’s going to be an excellent harvest”. “(the 2009 vintage) is going to sort out the experienced from the not so” says Bob Newton of Newton Forrest Cornerstone Vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels. Hmmm. A hiccup in the weather has the old guard cool and the newcomers worried, but that’s just business. “It’s business” croon the Conchords. “It’s business time. And you know when I’m down to just my socks it`s time for business, that’s why they call it business socks”. Sorry , couldn’t help myself.

Sip This...
Sacred Hill Basket Press Hawkes Bay Merlot Cabernet 2008 $20
A new-release red that’s an old favourite with its spicy, savoury aromas and hearty, rib-sticking character. Sourced from fruit grown in Hawkes Bay’s Gimblett Gravels region, it needs to be paired with food to be enjoyed fully and it’s a winner with garlic pepper steak. http://www.sacredhill.com/

Nothing Cheesy About Wine

Well the recession has officially hit the Lorkin household. SkyTV has gone (my husband is bitter about that one) and there are no more electric blankets or heaters on during the night, just extra blankets. This afternoon I rang the insurance company and changed my husband’s old car policy to third-party because the discount will come in handy. Where once I experienced saintly elation at collecting the biggest supermarket petrol discount voucher, I now just get depressed that the stupid discount lasts for only one week and it just brings the price back to what it was a fortnight ago anyway. One minute I’m thrilled to have sold my wedding dress for $200 on TradeMe only to be told that it’s going to cost $140 to dry-clean! Despite the fact that it’s in pristine condition and has no lace, beads, baubles or dangly bits of any description. How ridiculous. Women are being ripped off royally. So the trade fell through because no bride wants a dress that hasn’t been freshly dry-cleaned. There will be no more guitar, gymnastics, ballet, Brownies, or karate lessons or expensive haircuts or restaurant dinners out and although I haven’t resorted to watering down my wines yet, wine and cheese evenings are definitely a distant memory.
I came home one day recently to find that my husband had grated about half a kilo of Edam onto his nachos. After screaming phrases like “yellow gold” “think of the children!” and “calcium is measured in carats these days!” I calmed down and opened a bottle of Trinity Hill’s Tempranillo ($26) and we made a night of it. Being a Spanish variety it worked beautifully with the beef, refried beans and spices. Tempranillo is best know as the main grape used for making Rioja and it’s also used in Portugal under the moniker Tinta Roriz, where it is used to make port and also the Duero dry reds, with Touriga Nacional. Trinity Hill grows theirs in the stony, free-draining and warm soils of the Gimblett Gravels and they’re one of only a tiny few New Zealand wineries to produce it. It may’ve been my last bottle, but it was worth it.
One thing I do have in abundance however is grapefruit; two teeming trees worth. Friends and family see me coming with bags of grapefruit and they break the land-speed record to escape. Having two trees is a curse and I refuse to make any more marmalade – so I’m going to make wine. Sweet wine I think. If anyone has a half-decent grapefruit wine recipe then I’d love to hear it. So when the depression does actually kick in at least I’ll have my moonshine.
In fact I wonder if there’s a way I could cobble together something that the Holden would happily run on from my profuse supply of squinty citrus? Hmmm.

Sip of the Week

Margrain Rivers Edge Pinot Noir 2007 $39
If this wine were a pie it would scream steak and kidney with a rich, earthy undercurrent and a waft of red liquorice on the nose as you sip. More please Margrain! Visit www.margrainvineyard.co.nz for where to buy.
Wyndham Estate Bin 888 Cabernet Merlot 2005 $16
For those who like their reds chunky, chewy and cheap – here’s your ticket. Roast plum, cedar and slivers of graphite mix with heady spices to produce a very big wine for under twenty bucks. Drink with sticky neck-chop stew.
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Marlborough Pinot Noir 2007 $29
The 2005 version came out top Pinot in the Cuisine Magazine pinot tasting and the 2006 nabbed the champion pinot trophy at the Royal Easter Show, the 2007 had a lot to live up to. But there’s no mistaking the skyscraper-like structure of this wine, loaded with prunes, tea, earthy bracken and leafy hedgerow characters and a finish like a slightly scratchy, but reassuring cosy electric blanket wrapped around your tongue. Huge potential here.
Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve Particuliere NV 750ml $75 One glass is just such a tease, and yet a whole bottle is plain gluttony – good thing then that the people at Nicolas Feuillatte have little 200ml bottles just for such dilemmas. But whatever size you buy, you’ll be met with the delicate fragrances of sweet biscuit dough, soft lemon and popcorn, with crisp white peach, mealy shortbread and youthful, clinging acidity on the palate. If you’re a plate of oysters or freshly grilled crayfish – you’ve met your match. Distributed by Lion Nathan in NZ, you’ll find it at good fine wine stores and online retailers.

Six Decades Of Sipping

Six decades of sipping

I’m writing this at 10pm after coming home from one of the most important wine tastings I’ve ever been to. Over the last five or so years, Clive Holland of Napier has been on the hunt for a group of wines the likes of which many wine drinkers of today would not hope to come across in their lifetimes. Much as I’d like to think I possess a few flash bottles, there was nothing to prepare me for the lineup laid out.
Bordeaux wines from highly rated vintages from the Nineteen Thirties, Forties and Fifties, plus New Zealand Bordeaux Varietals from the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties. The tasting spanned six decades with the youngest wine being from the New Zealand 1980 vintage, the oldest being a 1934 2nd Grand Cru Classé Ch. Lascombes from Margaux. Looking at the dusty, fragile-looking bottles I was in awe wondering who’d owned them over the years. Where had they travelled? Where had they been stored and what stories might they be able to tell? I feel like a nervous schoolgirl, like I didn’t really deserve to be here.
I can’t wait to get amongst it though, the atmosphere is charged, there’s laughter, jokes, loud conversation, gossip, good wine and good food to enjoy. The first wine was a 1980 Te Mata Estate Cabernet Sauvignon which after 27 years was holding up incredibly well, blood-brown in colour and smooth and nutty. However co-organiser of the event Geoff Wilson, a self-proclaimed ‘vinous necrophiliac,’ thought it might be too young. Next up were the 1972 and 1966 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon’s. Because the 1972 was closest to my birthday I volunteered to open it. The cork was dusty, damp and soggy. It took three attempts, two different corkscrews, some large tweezers and a lot of embarrassment to extract it – then it turned out to be disappointing. Story of my life. The 1966 was fantastic however, and all of a sudden people piped up with stories about the legendary winemaker Tom McDonald. The French wines came next, a Ch. Calon Montagne St Emilion from 1955, which due to the high wine levels and quality of cork we all suspected it had been topped up and re-corked at some stage recently.
Then a 1949 Ch. Guitignan a Merlot-dominant Cru Bourgeois from Moulis in the Medoc . Just gorgeous! Fresh and mouthfilling with flavours of caramel, baking spices and roast nuts. The 1947 Ch. Marbuzet from St Estephe, a second label of Cos d’Estournel and immediately it becomes my favourite. Thinking about how desolate and destroyed post-war France must have been, it makes me want to cry just thinking about how they managed to produce a wine so full of colour, vibrancy and life during that time. In 1938, the French knew that war was coming and the Germans were determined to steal or destroy their national treasure, the wine. Many vignerons simply bricked-over their cellars, locking their bottles away for safekeeping. Interesting that during the war the weather and the vintages were terrible, as if the weather itself were resisting the occupation. The Germans also never discovered the technique of smuggling the allied airmen across the lines in wine barrels either.
The 1938 Ch. Rouget from Pomerol was deliciously savoury and leathery, and the 1937 Ch. Gruaud Larose from St Julien was loaded with spices and cosy and silky to taste. Finally the 1934 Ch. Lascombes from Margaux. I’m actually shaking a little bit taking a sip – I can’t believe I’m about to taste something 73 years old (and no, this is not an appropriate Anna Nicole Smith joke moment) It’s a cabernet sauvignon-dominant wine that has baked prune, old leather and espresso-like aromas. While on the palate it is lush, juicy and holding its fruit with savoury layers. The room is quiet, everyone marvelling at what they’ve just consumed. The cork is handed around for everyone to look at, feel and touch “it’s really spongy and yellow” remarks John Thirkle of Brookfields, “Well if you’d been soaked in wine for the last 73 years you’d be a tad spongy too!” laughs Sharon Robertson. “The corks are actually holding up really well – good things those corks” says Clive “Maybe they’ll catch on” I say.
Vintage Comments

1955 The last great vintage of the Fifties.

1949 A truly excellent vintage, only a fraction below 1947.

1947 The second best vintage of the Forties (after the legendary 1945).

1938 An average Bordeaux vintage - now extremely rare.

1937 The second best vintage of the Thirties.

1934 By far the best vintage of the Thirties

It's what's in the bottle that counts

Everything that could go wrong pretty much did for the organizers of last week’s Hawkes Bay A&P Mercedes Benz Wine Awards when a perceived conflict of interest between the Chairman of Judges and the Champion Wine sparked fierce debate about which wines should be allowed to enter competitions and which judges should be allowed to judge.
The competition rules actually don’t say anything about a judge not being able to enter their own wine, therefore no 'rules' were broken (fact number 1). When you're judging wines in a competition you're presented with a long table laden with glasses known simply as a 'number' and even if a judge (unknowingly) happens to give his own wine a score, it is omitted by the competition director (when the scores are collated) - therefore there's no way a winemaker who's entered a wine(and then happens to be a judge or the Chairman) could have ANY influence over the final score of their own wine (fact number 2).
The Chairman of Judges has to be someone who’s at the top of their game and here in NZ the pool of people who have the necessary skills and experience to oversee and administer a high-end competition, is tiny. Chances are that person will be connected in some way to the media or to one of the larger wine companies because that’s where their skills have taken them.
But when the Gunn Estate Skeetfield Chardonnay 06 was announced Champion Wine at the Hawkes Bay A&P Mercedes Benz Wine Awards, certain members of the media demanded Gunn Estate hand their Championship Trophy back, because they’re owned by Sacred Hill, the employer of Chairman of Judges, Tony Bish. Tony does not make Gunn Estate’s wine, Denis Gunn does. But after days of being shredded by the media and out of respect for the awards, Denis returned his trophies. Hours after doing so, it turns out that in a completely unrelated mix-up in the scoring by Nick Sage, the Competition Director, the Championship Trophy should in fact have been awarded to Hugh Crichton and of Vidal Estate for his 2005 Reserve Syrah. But on Thursday it was then suggested in the media that Vidal Estate shouldn't deserve to win either because ex-Vidal Estate winemaker Rod McDonald was a judge!
Rod McDonald had already left Vidals before that Syrah was blended and bottled (fact number 3) - plus he didn't even judge the Syrah class (I know this because I was on his panel) so he wouldn't have been able to tell whether that wine was his in any way unless he was seriously psychic.
My heart goes out to Denis Gunn because he’s been through hell, and he doesn’t deserve it. I also feel for Nick Sage because he made a simple mix-up, a human error that’s had major ramifications and he’s beside himself. Both Nick and Tony offered to fall on their swords, however the A&P society rejected their resignations.
No judges at the 2007 Hawkes Bay A&P Mercedes Benz Wine Awards entered their own wines. The whole thing is tragic because it’s been fuelled by inaccuracies. This is not time for a witchhunt. Honest mistakes happen when human beings are involved. There's no conspiracy, no deception, no ugly self-serving agenda's - and the sooner people realise that the better.
So Gunn Estate get told they can’t enter because Tony Bish is Chairman, that’s sad. If Alistair Maling MW, Villa Maria’s Group Winemaker were Chairman then essentially no Villa wines, no Esk Valley, Vidals or Thornbury wines would be allowed to enter. If Jeff Clark, Pernod Ricard’s chief winemaker were Chair, immediately that excludes all Montana, Church Road, CJ Pask, Corbans, Longridge and the rest! Sacred Hill is provides winemaking facilities for loads of small winemakers who can’t afford to build their own wineries – are they refused entry simply because of association? How fair is that? Not allowing the Chairman, or the judges to enter their own wines may make for slim pickings in the future for both entries and qualified judges.
Gunn Estate have since been hugely successful at the International Chardonnay Challenge held in Gisborne where they picked up Gold Medals for their 2007 Gunn Chardonnay and the 2006 Gunn Skeetfield Chardonnay. Sacred Hill also scored gold for their stunning 2006 Sacred Hill Riflemans Chardonnay, which means politics aside, it’s what’s in the bottle that counts.
Tony Bish, and Denis Gunn always have, and always will, make fantastic chardonnay. Vidal Estate make amazing Syrah. If pessimistic party-poopers and a bit of clumsy score-keeping get in the way of New Zealanders buying or trying these wines that would be the real crime.

Super Sipping Starts Up...

Crumbs! I can't quite believe it's taken me to long to sort this blogging business out. It's quite the thing to do I'm told, and not one for being left out - I had to get organised. I'm a wine writer based in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand - I write a weekly column for 5 newspapers as well as a bit of freelancing for magazines. I publish my weekly columns on www.yvonnemarie.co.nz and as soon as I get sorted I'll begin copying my reviews and stuff here as well.

But right now I've got a deadline looming and I should get back to it - but before I go, I need your help. If you are remotely into wine marketing, I'm hosting an online Skypecast tonight at 8pm regarding 'adding value to wine brands instead of discounting' - think you can contribute? See you then...

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