Tasting at Martinborough Vineyard and Ata Rangi followed by lunch with winemakers

WINE TALK
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On the last weekend of November, a group of us from Wellington headed over the hill to Martinborough, where we had arranged tastings at Martinborough Vineyard and Ata Rangi; two of the longest-established producers in the region. This was the second of our Martinborough day trips in 2014. In September we tasted at Escarpment Vineyards Tasting at Escarpment Vineyards followed by a Burgundy lunch with winemakers - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers with winemaker Larry McKenna, who made the wine at Martinborough Vineyard in the mid eighties and throughout the nineties.

Paul Mason has been the winemaker at Martinborough Vineyard since 2007. He met us at the winery and got us started by taking us into the home block; one of the three older vineyards that surround the winery. This vineyard was planted in 1980 with 10/5 clone Pinot Noir. The other Pinot Noir vineyards are comprised of Abel, Pommard, clone 5 and 115. Some are still on their own roots, others are grafted. Phylloxera is slowly making incursions.

The winery produces 20,000 cases of wine per annum, of which half are Pinot Noir. Harvesting is by hand with about 25% whole bunch on average going into the Pinot Noir. There is a premium barrel selection in some years called Marie Zelie, as well as the Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir and the Te Tera Pinot Noir. The wines are made from barrel blends rather than single vineyard selections, which helps provide consistency and complexity.

Thierry was our note taker at the vineyard visits.

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Martinborough Vineyard Tasting (http://www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz)

Paul Mason took us to the temperature-controlled cellar for a tasting of the 2014 vintage. Since this is the Southern hemisphere, this means that the grapes were picked in March/April and are completing or have just completed malolactic fermentation.

While Martinborough Vineyard makes only one Chardonnay, we tasted from two different plots. These are two very different wines which will constitute some of the components for the final blend.

Chardonnay 2014
Just finished malolactic fermentation. Fresh and ripe fruit including stonefruit, lemon and some tropical notes, and nuts. Good poise and concentration with crisp acidity and creaminess coming through as the wine coats the palate. This is a well balanced wine combining some richness and sweetness of fruit with good acidity. Natural yeasts are used for fermentation; batonnage about once a week. Mostly in 2 year old barrels. 20% new oak in the final blend.

Chardonnay 2014 (from different block with older grapevines)
Clone 15 Chardonnay planted in 1990.Tighter palate with more acidity, focus, and a mineral streak running through. White florals with citrus notes. A bigger wine with tight phenolic structure, good weight and concentration. A racier wine. Plenty of structure and dry extract here.

Martinborough vineyard makes two pinot noirs with fruit from different local blocks (Te Tera from younger vines; Martinborough Vineyards from the older vines mostly). In special vintages, they also release a barrel selection wine, Marie Zelie Reserve Pinot Noir. The current release of Marie Zelie is 2010 (previously made in 2003, 2006 and 2008). There will be one in 2013 and the decision about 2014 has not been made.

The Abel Clone Pinot noir grapes constitute about 50% of the blend every year. According to Paul, the Abel clone is well suited to the district and is what gives the spicy and savoury characteristics we associate with Martinborough.

The pinot noir barrel samples we tasted will go in the Martinborough Vineyard wine, the flagship, except for the William Grace which Paul looks after in the cellar and which belongs to our friend and fellow traveller Mark St Clair and his wife, Debbie Bowie (http://www.williamgrace.co.nz).

Pinot Noir 2014 (Carters’ Block)
Planted in 1996 with Abel Clone vines, the signature PN clone of most vineyards in Martinborough vineyards. Dark concentrated fruit with brambly and herbal character. Serious weight, concentration and structure. Very characteristic of the district. 10% whole bunch.

William Grace Pinot Noir 2014
Abel and 115 clones. High density planting on a ratio of 10,000 vines/hectare. Complex aromas of lifted dark florals with savoury and herbal character. This displays a silky structure. Concentration and weight and good structure. Crisp and lifted: and attractive showing. 100% destemmed.

Elder Pinot Noir 2014 (Southern end of Te Muna Valley, a few kms out of the village)
Abel, 115 and 5 Clones. Planted in 2002 in a soil with a bit of limestone. A windier and cooler site which is picked 2 weeks later that the blocks in the village. Paul makes the wine for Mike and Margaret Hanson (http://theelderpinot.co.nz) and it is bottled separately. However, some of it makes it into the Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir and will constitute about 5% of the finished blend.
Appealing and distinguished. Bright crunchy red fruit with dark florals. Brightness of structure and sweetness of fruit. Good tannins that are silky and fully ripe. Finishes on spices and minerals which infuse the whole palate. A very attractive wine.

Co-fermented Pinot Noir from old blocks 2014
Abel Clone 1/3 and 2/3 10.5 from old blocks in the village. 18% whole bunch.
Showing evidence of the recently completed malo, but rich and lifted red fruit. Crunchy and rich fruit in the mouth. Good weight and structure with lots of dry extract. Tightly wrapped and very promising. Tannins are opulent but nicely ripe. The vine age is the striking characteristic of this wine has it is showing a sappy richness with underlying tannic power.

Duncan’s paddock Pinot Noir 2014
Pommard clone. Lifted dark florals, red fruit, and spices. Bright and lifted in the front palate, with plenty of concentration and rich ripe and bright fruit. A core of cherry fruit infuses the mid-palate and carries the wine to a long finish. Not as savoury as the Abel clone, but lots of structure and weight.

The different pinot noir wines we tasted show the influence of clone, vine age and location. Like some other producers, including Ata Rangi, Paul like the possibility of blending from all these to make up the wines.

And to finish, an interesting wine for which Martinborough Vineyard has built a good reputation. Syrah can make some excellent wines in the district.

Syrah Viognier 2014
Viognier is fermented separately but the skins are added to the syrah ferments. Viognier makes about 5% of the final wine.
A spicy, red-fruited wine, with floral perfumes. On palate this combines rich, sweet and red fruit with the brightness of the Viognier. Viognier provides plenty of textural richness on this as well as brightness and lift. Both silky and chewy on palate. Good structure.

Seven to eight months after harvest, 2014 is looking like a promising vintage, a more classic vintage than 2013. We found the tannins fully ripe and the wines showing plenty of weight, concentration and structure. Paul says he prefers 2013 as it is good across the board and it was hard to make a bad wine. He says 2014 has some exciting wines but is less consistent.

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Next we visited Ata Rangi, where Helen Masters is the head winemaker. Helen also took us to see some of the older vines of the home block, also planted in 1980, and also still on their own roots. Helen showed us how pest control is achieved organically by planting ground cover and replacing the shelterbelts with native trees to encourage competitive species. As with Martinborough Vineyard the plantings here are low density by Burgundian standards, the row widths determined initially by the size of the smallest tractor available in when the vines were first planted.

Like Martinborough Vineyard, the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is a barrel selection of several vineyards. Earlier in the year Helen brought some barrel samples to lunch in Wellington Ata Rangi 2013 Barrel Samples: let's get geeky on NZ Pinot - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers and we were given the opportunity to see how the finished product can exceed the sum of the parts. There is a second wine here called Crimson, a nod to founder Clive Paton’s association with Project Crimson, which aims to repopulate the North Island with the crimson-flowered pohutukawa and rata trees.

At Martinborough Vineyards we sampled the 2014 wines out of barrel, whereas at Ata Rangi we drank older vintages out of bottle. Thierry will post his Ata Rangi Notes and Howard will post on the wines we had at lunch. Many thanks to Paul and Helen for their hospitality.

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Ata Rangi Tasting http://atarangi.co.nz

Ata Rangi Petrie 2013
Elegant and bright fruit, with spices and almonds. Plenty of textural element as the wine combines citrus notes and creaminess. Helen explains that after fermentation, the wine goes to barrel with a high level of solids. Mouthwatering. The wine went through 40% of its malolactic fermentation before it was stopped. In barrels of 300 and 500 litres.

Ata Rangi Craighall 2013
Vines are 28 to 32 years of age. Mendoza clone. Helen says that the bunches have lots of skinny berries which in the end raise the ratio of skin to pulp and provide structure and weight. Picked at 22 brix: the local yeasts have great conversion to alcohol powers so the fruit needs to be picked at that level of ripeness in order to produce a wine at 13.5% alcohol and not over.
This is more subdued than the Petrie but also more elegant. Nice nervy palate showing good phenolic structure, weight and richness. There is an excellent balance in this wine. To me, this is always one of the better Chardonnays in New Zealand and this is showing the seriousness I expect.

Helen took us through a mini vertical of the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir to demonstrate the effects of vintage in Martinborough. While there seems to be an expectation that new world producers can ripen their grapes evenly every year, Martinborough has a much trickier climate than most other places in New Zealand.

Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2008
The grapes produced bigger berries than usual in 2008 according to Helen.
Dark and plush fruit including spicy plums. Round tannins with dark and savoury fruit. The fruit is quite sweet and juicy. Approachable. Bigger and riper style but showing some interesting development. A very popular vintage. Helen thinks 2014 compares to 2008, at least for now.

Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2010
A cooler year but not as cool as 2012. Very different profile. More classic Martinborough with spices and savouriness with touch of dry herbs and dry hay. Very bright and focused fruit with good structure. Much tighter focus than the 2008 Pinot Noir. Good tension on the finish with spices and tannins. More layered and complex than the 2008. A truly classic Ata Rangi.

Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2012
Coolest year since 1993. Leafy and herbal with some fruit but secondary character of sous-bois and dry herb are emerging. Picked a month later than normal. This has some charm and elegance and is approachable. 13.2% alcohol. No whole bunch. Lots of leaf thinning in the vineyard to get the fruit to ripen according to Helen.

Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2013
Not released yet. The result of the blend of wines we tasted earlier this year. Ata Rangi 2013 Barrel Samples: let's get geeky on NZ Pinot - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers
Good combination of florals and sweet fresh fruit with spices. Lots of dry extract; big wine but achieving good balance and structure. Much more structured than the 2008 and as we saw earlier this year, it has restrain and focus. This is tense, long and in focus. 20% whole bunch. Bottled in late July 2014. Very primary with excellent material. It will be a bigger wine than the 2010 and we will follow this with interest to see if it achieves a similar level of elegance. Like other 2013 wines, this will be highly sought after when it comes out.

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A LONG LUNCH AT HELEN’S PLACE - Martinborough, NZ (12/6/2014)

After tastings at Martinborough Vineyards with Paul Mason and Ata Rangi with Helen Masters we went to a long lunch hosted by Helen and Ben Masters. Everyone had brought a couple of bottles from the cellars.

Andrew, Rauno, Thierry and I were joined by Martinborough winemakers Hiro Kusuda (Kusuda), John Kavanagh (TK, formerly of Neudorf), Larry McKenna (Escarpment), Mark (William Grace) and Paul. Helen’s assistant, Chris Reid, also attended.

Hiro had said he would bring along a couple of his wines for us to try.

It was fascinating to hear the winemakers’ take on the wines, compared with ours.

Thanks very much to Ben and Helen for hosting and to all attendees for their contributions and great company.

The wines were initially served in pairs but about half way through the reds we switched to serving singly.
The lunch wines …

  • 2011 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
    A light bright colour. A lovely nose of marzipan and herbs. On palate, attractive acidity, matched by good fruit weight and depth. Very well balanced, blind, I had this wine as a Puligny 1er, not thinking of either Meursault or the distinctive Henri Boillot house style. It does have richness, but with a precision and focus I was not expecting from a Boillot Meursault. No sign of unacceptable green elements. Very promising. Quite accessible now but should be relatively long lived in the cellar.
  • 2010 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
    A light, clear colour, slightly darker than the Boillot. Tasted blind, on bouquet I was far from certain this wine was a Chablis. Not a Chablis signature nose, with a little mint, citrus and baking spice. No marine notes on bouquet or palate. On entry to the palate, I was thinking this was a 2009 Chablis, it is quite round, clearly Chardonnay with citrus, white and yellow orchard fruit and winegum flavours. You could easily confuse it with a white Burgundy. It is rich, without overt acidity, very pure and transparent, a lovely, fine Forêts, with excellent texture and mouthfeel. But perhaps not one for a Chablis purist. Approachable now, this wine would benefit from cellar time.
  • 1997 Neudorf Chardonnay Moutere - New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Moutere
    Rauno is ‘Mr White Burgundy’ and his first wine was deep gold in colour. On the nose, glycerine, honey, spice and autumn leaves and a little Époisses, clearly an oxidised wine. On palate, this was obviously a Chardonnay with good dry extract, with 15-20 years’ age. It was appropriately oxidised for that sort of age, with autumnal, honeyed and citric flavours. The structure and acidity were still in place. Andrew was ‘all in’ on this wine, having it, with this fruit weight and concentration, as a Grand Cru white Burgundy, perhaps from 1997. John Kavanagh, formerly a Neudorf winemaker, but after 1997, did not realise this was a Neudorf Moutere, but was not surprised by the quality. Drink in the next few years.
  • 2002 Giaconda Chardonnay Estate Vineyard - Australia, Victoria, North East, Beechworth
    Rauno’s second wine. Gold but not as deep a colour as the Neudorf. The nose showed some evolution but, again, not as much as the Neudorf. The aromas were honeyed citrus with some lactic creaminess. On the palate, a classy, rich but relatively low acid Chardonnay. Some at the table were straight to Giaconda, while I was just thinking ‘high quality Australian’. Ripe, dense with a little apparent fruit sweetness. Excellent structure and length. Flavours of lemon, honey and pears, with some toasty oak present. I’d drink this Giaconda in the next five years.
  • 2011 Domaine Michèle et Patrice Rion Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Terres Blanches - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
    Pale gold colour. Chris’s wine had a beautiful nose: floral, mineral and chalky, suggesting racy acidity. On palate, a young, tight, focused and precise wine, with a good acid backbone. The sparkling acidity here reminded me somewhat of Chablis and Chris, who had done vintage at the Domaine, confirmed the similarity of the soil structure of the climat. An interesting, individual, detailed flavour profile, partly attributable to the 10% Pinot Blanc in the wine. A wine to cellar medium term.
  • 1999 Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
    I gave this wine three hours after a full decant, which it needed. A nose of blood, warm earth, rusty iron and dry autumn leaves, savoury and evolved. A similar flavour profile in the mouth of bloody meat, dirt, dried leaves, smoke, all savoury and autumnal. At its core is a ton of broad shouldered, large scaled Pommard fruit. Thierry probably summarised it best when he said, ‘It’s like drinking a glass of rust’. Excellent, bright acids on this wine, very precise, that I saw as classic Montille, in this period. An excellent wine, drinking well now, but with years ahead of it, obviously.
  • 1999 Domaine de Courcel Pommard 1er Cru Grand Clos des Épenots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
    Served as a pair with the Montille, there were similarities here, but big differences too. A riper, more expressive, richer nose, more dominated by fresh red fruit. But there was also Pommard savouriness and earthiness on bouquet. Immediately on palate, a big, ripe and rich wine, with gobs of fruit, a wheelbarrow of soil and an interesting lactic element. Very ripe, and seemingly low acid, I was asking if it was an '03 Pommard. Huge fruit weight here, almost New Worldish. An excellent wine, a good counterpoint to the Montille (which I preferred). I recently had the 1999 Rugiens and could see no parallel with this Épenots. Many years ahead of this wine, I would think.
  • 2007 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
    Deep, bright ruby colour. Wow, what a nose! Expressive, Gevrey signature, a potpouri of pure, bright red berry fruit, slightly lifted. Steely, pure and clean on the palate, with red cherries, raspberries and a little animale. Serious fruit weight, some had the wine blind as a Grand Cru. There is a lot of oak here, but it’s good oak, matched by good fruit volume, and is well integrated. The vintage, house and climat were no surprise. Looking back at it, however, I thought that the 2007 Ruchottes was quite a step up. Some, like Larry, preferred the smaller scale and what they saw as the less worked nature of this wine than the Ruchottes. On its drinking plateau now but no hurry.
  • 2009 Domaine Anne Gros Echezeaux Les Loachausses - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
    This wine suffered in comparison with the Cazetiers, served alongside it. A slightly dull nose of red berries with an off-putting medicinal element. The medicinal element continued to the palate with some mince pie and jammy flavours. Also, apparent excessive fruit sweetness, suggesting over-ripeness. There was large scaled fruit here, that took some tasters to the New World, but it seemed awkward and a little clumsy. It was not surprising that, on the reveal, this wine was a Grand Cru, but it seemed a disappointing effort from this maker and site. Perhaps with 10+ years in the cellar, a swan will emerge from this ugly duckling? The vintage was not a surprise. A lot of 2009s seem to have passed their initial period of accessibility and have now gone into ‘the tunnel’. I wonder when and how this will emerge?
  • 2008 Geantet-Pansiot Charmes-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
    Deep garnet colour. Again, the nose screams Gevrey. Aromas of bright, pure red berries with a suggestion of savouriness and a little feral element. In the mouth a lovely wine, quite open, bursting with ripe red fruit. Grand Cru fruit weight, structure and length. I was thinking this was a 2002 and a Gevrey Grand Cru really surprised that it was a 2008. Quite a silky mouthfeel with cultured, well proportioned tannins. A relatively sleek, modern wine. Surprisingly forward now, this wine is still of course a long term cellar wine.
  • 2009 Domaine Leroy Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
    Ruby colour. The winemakers were all over the brett on this bouquet, although, to me, it was at an acceptable level. A nose of strawberries, blood orange and some feral elements and funkiness, that might reflect oxidative winemaking. There is sweet fruit on the palate of this wine. Strawberry flavours rather than raspberry, with a little sweet red cherry. The tasters were not very complimentary, calling this wine, variously, overworked, confected and a little raisiny or roasted, suggesting it may be heading towards falling over. The reveal showed people were a little harsh. In the context of Grand Crus and 1ers, this is a very good Bourgogne where the ripe 2009 vintage allowed Leroy to produce this quality. I have enjoyed this wine several times in the last year. It is very much in the Leroy style, at this lower level. It outperforms many Villages level wines. I’d expect it to drink like this in the medium term.
  • 2006 Geantet-Pansiot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Poissenot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
    Deep garnet colour. A bouquet of high toned red berries: raspberries, red cherries and red currants. On palate, quite overt, rich and ripe. Broad shouldered with heavy concentration and quite heavily extracted. It was no surprise the wine was a Geantet-Pansiot, it seemed in the house style. I guessed that this wine was a 2009 and thought it more backward than the 2008 Geantet-Pansiot. I’d give it another five years in the cellar.
  • 1988 Domaine Lejeune Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillieres - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
    Hiro’s wine was a pale colour with some orange around the rim, showing some evolution. On the nose it had a beautiful autumnal character - late autumn fruit on the tree and browning, dry autumn leaves on the ground - and old spice nuances. There was also a pleasant dried herbs element, Helen attributed to a high proportion of whole bunch. There was certainly age on the palate, but also, surprisingly, quite vibrant acidity. The flavours were earthy, autumnal, old plums and dried red fruit, I picked as a Corton. The wine had excellent fruit volume and architecture, which, with the acid backbone, suggested some time ahead of it. Hiro worked at the Domaine in this era, I understand.
  • 2004 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
    The wine had a lovely spicy, savoury nose. Again, the winemakers were detecting brett, I was just seeing as sous bois and savoury complexity. But there was also some herby green tinges on the nose. An interesting wine on palate with some complexity of flavour, including some greenness, but not to a level I found off-putting. The wine had serious fruit weight and a dense mid palate. I thought that the acids were a little out of balance. Larry had the wine as a powerful Grand Cru. However, for this esteemed label, I thought this was a slightly disappointing showing. Perhaps, with more time, it will improve?
  • 1991 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
    Deep relatively primary red colour. A very clean and pure nose of dark cherries and other red and dark berries, with espresso, cinnamon, Asian spice and savoury notes. On palate, a very rich and powerful wine. It was obviously Syrah, but elegantly handled and beautifully Burgundian, which takes you straight to JL Chave. The wine seemed relatively young, but with some development, it seemed to be right in its optimal drinking window. Beautifully proportioned and balanced. Vibrant but savoury. The palate was multi-layered and very detailed. Really superb, a class act! Thanks Rauno.
  • 2009 Thibault Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée Aux Réas - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
    The bouquet showed aromas of toasty oak, reductive funk, lovely high toned red fruit and minerals. On palate, this was a very tight young wine. I thought it might be a 2005 Burgundy, it was relatively closed. It had a big volume of gorgeous, crystalline red fruit with some spicy oak flavours. Some in the room thought this wine was a New World pinot noir. A very modern, high quality wine, as you would expect from this house. Excellent. Hold for 5+ years.
  • 2009 Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
    Larry’s wine had a lovely nose, a confit of different juicy red and black berries. I did not pick up the whole bunch character on bouquet or palate. In the mouth, this is very rich and super-concentrated, with fruit sweetness. Quite a lot new oak is present and it is not yet seamlessly melded with the huge fruit volume. Actually, the palate is quite disjointed and unbalanced, but, on the reveal, this wine is an absolute baby that needs a minimum of 10 years to come together, when I’m sure it will be a majestic wine. Many years ago Larry worked at Dujac, so he keeps an interested eye on their output.
  • 2007 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
    Four hours of slow-o, which worked well. Bright red colour. A beautiful bouquet, again classic Gevrey Chambertin. Expressive, high toned red berries with dark florals, showing lift and some maturity. In the mouth, the first impression is of the fruit purity and precision. All elegance and beautiful balance, with serious matière. Layers of vibrant fruit, largely in the red fruit spectrum, with cooked game meats and some Gevrey animale. My WoTD. In its drinking window now but no hurry, I would think.
  • 2005 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    We are planning a trip to Piemonte next year and accordingly Helen provided this bottle. A nose of dark cherries and tar, leather and tobacco, with savoury nuances. The Nebbiolo was a change of pace from pinot noir and this was a very primary wine with a lot of unresolved chemistry. A fleshy, textural wine. There is serious dry extract here and spiky acidity, yet to fully settle. The flavour profile is consistent with the bouquet, but with a gutsy, meaty element. Give this wine another five years, at least.
  • 2007 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combes aux Moines Vieille Vigne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
    Bright, clear red colour. A lovely nose of red and black cherries, very pure with mineral and chalk notes. On palate, a lovely, beautifully balanced wine, fresh and lively but rich, with good fruit weight. Crystalline fruit, more in the darker berry spectrum. Sparkling, very attractive acidity. A seamless profile with excellent structure and finesse. Very good length, finishing on those mineral and chalk elements. This wine has been open for business for at least a year or two now. Excellent.
  • 2010 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
    A bouquet of limes and lemons and yellow orchard fruit, with some minerality in the background. Beautiful balance on the palate, with very good acidity. Very pure, focussed and clean. Serious concentration and fruit weight, the stuffing needed for a great future. An excellent young white Burgundy, give this wine at least three years before opening.

After lunch,two Kusudas to compare …

  • 2012 Kusuda Pinot Noir - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
    Hiro showed us non-blind two of his pinot noirs. A perfumed bouquet with savoury red fruit. On palate, not a huge extract, this wine is all about elegance and finesse. The tannins and acids are beautifully integrated. Very pure, clean and transparent. The wine reflects the cooler vintage that was Martinborough 2012. I preferred the 2012 to the 2008. The vines were planted in 1999, at high density, 8,000 per ha. Around 4,000 bottles produced annually.
  • 2008 Kusuda Pinot Noir - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
    A spicy, earthy and savoury nose, with dark fruit notes. On palate, reflecting the warmer vintage, an impression of greater ripeness. Savoury flavours of earth, blackberry and bramble, very much Martinborough signature. However, there is also an elegance and balance in this wine I do not always get in Martinborough pinot noirs, but I expect in Kusudas. Good acidity, the flavours are earthy and black fruited.

A couple of wines with dinner …

  • 2006 Morey-Blanc Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
    Served blind. Light gold colour, showing a little age. A pleasant but not aromatically complex bouquet of citrus, minerals and wet river stone. In the mouth, fresh and crisp, with a good acid backbone. Decent structure and fruit weight but not at the level of the Boillot of earlier today. Not at all clunky, a very correct white Burgundy, but pleasant, rather than complex on palate. Actually quite tight and lean for a 2006. At the start of its drinking window now. I’d give this wine another five years to see if it will develop greater complexity and detail.
  • 2012 Schubert Pinot Noir Marion’s Vineyard - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa
    Deep ruby colour. A typical Martinborough pinot noir bouquet of blackberries, bramble, raspberries and damp earth and underbrush. On palate, the flavour spectrum is similar, more black fruits, rather than red, bramble and a little sous bois. Good structure and fruit weight. Acceptable acidity, good precision and freshness and relatively fine, reflecting the cool 2012 vintage. A good enough wine but I’d put it clearly behind the Ata Rangi and Kusuda 2012s we had today. I’d drink in the next 10 years.

Posted from CellarTracker

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The Wellington crew with Paul Mason (minus Mark de Bourgogne and yours truly).
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With Helen Masters at Ata Rangi
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Great post Andrew, Thierry, Howard. Nice to see that old Neudorf perform and thanks for the heads up on the Kusudas which I had read of and will now try to locate in HK or if not then on my next trip back. Also, so much pleasure to be had in 2007 red Burgs now.
But seriously you guys operate like a vinous tag team with your posts. As an Aucklander (and I guess I’m setting myself up here) why are so many of the Burgtragics located in Wellington?

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Jeremy, I’m not sure if Kusuda exports to HK. Helen does, and visits regularly, and of course Hiro exports a large percentage of his output to Japan.

We’re a small group of Burglovers here. I know there’s more in Auckland but, Wayne aside, who’s more of a Bdx man anyway, they’re not big posters here.

If you ever get down here, send one of us a PM, we’ll see if we can get together for a glass of pinot.

Cheers, Howard

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Great write up guys. I found the '08 and '06 Geantet Pansiots particularly surprising for those vintages, which just goes to show how useful generalisations are.
I probably thought more highly of the Dujac than others - big, yes, but unbalanced no (for me) and sure looks like a lot of potential! I really liked the Cazetieres.
In terms of the whites, the Raveneau was lovely but as you say riper than expected. The Patrice Rion certainly more expressive than various other NSG Blanc I’ve tried and worth seeking out. The '06 Pierre Morey opened up quite a bit over the next day, but lacked energy especially cf the Boillot which was. more. tightly. coiled. like. a. spring…

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Brilliant day and excellent write up guys.

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sounds like a wonderful day, thanks for the notes.

Did Helen say when the 2013 Ata Rangi is going to be released?
Brodie

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She did not mention specifically, and we did not ask. They usually release in mid year or thereabout. There will be lots of interest in the 2013 wines and that will be true across the whole of New Zealand.

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I just checked: April for Australia and May for New Zealand.

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I think this music fits the photo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b1wt3-zpzQ [cheers.gif]

17

Do you really think so Ian? Maybe in Norfolk… [cheers.gif]

18

Pity I missed this one, well done with the wines and notes. Cheers Mike

19

Andrew, Howard, Thierry,

Brilliant write up on some oustanding wines; thanks for posting. We made a point of visiting Ata Rangi cellar door when we went to the North Island for the first time in September and inquired about meeting some of these lovely people but alas it was a weekend as I recall. You guys certainly are living well.

Cheers,
Doug

20

Hi Thierry, thanks for the update. Why the hell are the Aussies getting before us Kiwis??? Not that I will be drinking them straight away [cheers.gif]

Brodie