| | | ". . . if there is one place that threatens Burgundy's position at the top of the Pinot Noir pile, it is New Zealand . . . . only New Zealand can compete with Burgundy at every level."
Tim Atkin MW
"The depth and quality of the wines tasted, shared across regions from north to south, has left me with a strong feeling that New Zealand has hit a stage that I will describe as classic refinement."
James Suckling |
| | "I much enjoyed the balance of these wines and was particularly impressed by the aromatic whites of Ostler. Production levels are very low, but I see that older vintages of Ostler's wines are available . . ."
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com
"John Matheson and his family established Drumsara Wines by planting vines on an elevated glacial outwash gravel plateau on Hillview Road in Alexandra in 2000. There are 7 ha of vines, 60% dedicated to Pinot Noir and 40% to Pinot Gris. The vineyard is bony and features ventifacts, rocks with a knife-like edge formed by 300 mph winds, these rocks found so far only in Antarctica, on the planet Mars, and in the Drumsara site."
Raymond Chan, RaymondChanWineReviews.co.nz
"Brennan Wines is one of the first wine producers you come to travelling from Cromwell through the Kawarau Gorge to the Gibbston Valley. The vineyard was established in 1994 by the Brennan family, who have had land in the area for 30 years. The fruit was sold to the nearby Peregrine winery. Growing his winemaking skills, Sean Brennan, a native New Yorker who had lived much of the time in Central Otago moved to Gibbston to launch Brennan Wines in 2006. Fame has come rapidly, with a string of top awards, the most notable being the ‘B2’ Pinot Noir 2011 winning Champion Wine of Show at the Royal Easter Show and Champion Red at the I.W.C." Raymond Chan, RaymondChanWineReviews.co.nz
"Nick Nobilo [of Vinoptima] moved to Gisborne back when it was the bread basket of New Zealand wine and when Muller Thurgau was the popular variety. In the mid 1970s Nick convinced a grower to plant some Gewurztraminer. They selected out about 50 successful vines for growing. The early wines were very promising so this got Nick thinking that Gisborne was a great terroir for this grape. In 2000, Nick bought 10 hectares of vineyard land for himself in Ormond, Gisborne and went back to those old Gewurztraminer vines that had been isolated, using them to plant his vineyard. He now owns 2 five hectare blocks devoted to Gewurztraminer with no intention to expand. His wines are 100% grown, made and bottled on the estate. All the wines are bottle aged for at least 3 years prior to release. Nick claims that the backbone of his Gewurztraminer is phenolics, extracted under cold maceration for up to 18 hours. 'These are wines made to age,' Nick informed me. 'You must allow time for the integration of the phenolics' . . . . I love these wines. The style is incredibly food friendly for a vast range of dishes -- fishes, light meats and it can also take a fair bit of spice. If you happen upon a bottle, you must give it a try! What’s more, this wine ages incredibly well. I sampled vintages all the way back to the first 2003. The bottle was evolving beautifully, just stunning, though there’s no rush to drink it."
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Advocate
"Producers such as Pegasus Bay of Waipara, Brightwater and Greenhough of Nelson, and Framingham and Forrest in Marlborough really seem to have got the hang of Riesling and make a wide range of styles from bone dry to thrillingly and naturally sweet." Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com |
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