By Anto Coates
‘Peregrination’ is
an archaic word for a journey, and comes from the Latin peregre, which derives from per
(across) and agri (land). The notion
of being ‘across the land’ is fitting for the Peregrine winery in the Gibbston
Valley – designed to mimic the wingspan of a falcon, the structure hugs the
land as it meanders down a gentle slope. The winged roof gives the building a
restlessness; a sense of latent energy – the very quality that can be said to
exist in all the world’s great wines, regardless of style.
I was on my own
peregrinations to Central Otago last week and
fortunate enough to spend a week working vintage at Peregrine. I put myself in
the capable hands of winemaker Nadine Cross and her manic vintage crew and got
up close and personal with the wines (or at least tried not to get in the way
too much). The main focus for the week was Peregrine’s much-vaunted pinot noir,
the 2009 of course being the current defending champion of the Air New Zealand
Wine Awards (and if the just-bottled 2010 Peregrine Pinot Noir is anything to
go by, any wine that wants a shot at that title had better bring a big stick!)
Most of the 2011 fruit
was in the winery by the time I arrived on the Monday so I thought I might have
avoided picking duties. But the weather forecast deteriorated and I ended up
spending Friday picking late-harvest Riesling at Lowburn in a light drizzle.
The week was mainly spent filling barrels, plunging caps, digging out tanks,
testing sugar and ph levels, making coffee, taking Benny the wine dog out for
ablutions, doing titratable acid tests, tasting barrel samples and acing the Stuff.co.nz daily quiz…It was a great time
spent with some great people – Nadine is a firm believer in getting the right
vintage personnel, since one sociopath can ruin things for everyone. Her chosen
team of Connor, Chris, Morgan, Sarah, Greg and assistant winemaker Duncan were all
hilarious, with mouths that would make a sailor blush, and they made me feel
right at home.
The main benefit of
the week from a wine retailer’s point of view was to be able to take a
refresher course in all the little steps that go into making a wine. It’s easy
to become insular – drinking the polished product out of a polished glass – so getting
up to your knees in lees is good for your perspective, if not your pedicure…
Wine can be such a complex subject that it pays to try and simplify it where
possible, and spending a week helping lay the foundations for fine wine reminds
you of how it is simultaneously complex and simple.
Peregrine winery is
the benchmark for a mid-sized facility in New Zealand.
Every little detail is thought through, from CO2 ventilation above the open-top
fermenters, to motion-sensitive lighting in areas that are infrequently used. They have a pneumatic plunger on rails to speed up the plunging of the cap.
Making a world class
yet commercial quantity of the capricious black pinot grape is no small matter.
It calls for skill, hard work and technology in equal measures. The 2011 vintage
has been a troubled one throughout most of the region and indeed the country,
with rain being the major culprit, and Peregrine’s systems have been sorely
tested. That Peregrine is looking in such good shape, in what vigneron
Greg Hay calls "the first really difficult vintage in Central since 1994” only
goes to show how well they are traveling as a winery. Greg has noticed that Nadine’s experience
from more rain-prone regions has stood her in good stead, and Nadine says she’s had a great time trying to make the best wine possible in trying
conditions. Of course Peregrine’s growers and their vineyard manager Nick are
the heroes in 2011, since no great wine was ever made from sub-standard fruit.
Speaking of great
wines, we did try a few very nice bottles when we were down there,
including the Egon Muller Scharzhofberg Spatlese Riesling 2006 (19.5-/20) and
the Domaine Janasse Chateauneuf de Pape Vielles Vignes 2006 (19.0+/20). The
Muller was one of those amazing Mosel-Saar-Ruwers that have such richness and
sweetness and somehow don’t taste sweet at all. It had a beautiful slate
character to it with a musky honeysuckle flavour that really blossomed with
time in the glass. I thought we might have to close the door and wedge a towel
under it to stop the Chateauneuf infecting Peregrine’s ferments, but the
Janasse was very clean. A deep inky purple colour, its 88% grenache reminded me
how great this grape can be under the right circumstances. This will be a wine to drink with gusto over
the next 5-7 years.
Other vinous
highlights of the week were the Olssens Slapjack Creek Pinot Noir 2009
(19.5-/20), tasted at the cellar door – a ridiculously fragrant and rich pinot
with length and structure to burn – and a Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah 2008
(19.5/20) over lunch at Botswana Butchery in Queenstown. Botswana
is one of New Zealand’s
great dining establishments and a bottle of Le Sol in their beautifully
appointed dining room or next to outdoor fire overlooking Lake Wakatipu
is pure contentment and a portent that things are turning for the better
in your life. I also enjoyed the Karearea Pinot Noir 2008 and the Peregrine 2007, both of which were expressive, complex and drinking beautifully at the moment.
A big thank you to
all the crew at Peregrine, especially Nadine, Greg and Jude for hosting me
while I was there. I’m really looking forward to the release of the 2010
Peregrine Pinot Noir later this year….I tried it with Duncan’s BLTs in the
winery last Friday night and it is even better than the 2009. It’s got the deep
dark Bendigo
hallmarks, the lovely Lowburn approachability and the Gibbston X-factor to lift
the aroma. I can still taste it as I write this and can’t wait to share it with
Regional customers later in the year…!