Monday 4 April: The day dawned overcast but glary – that kind
of squinty light when the sun is trying to insinuate itself through the
cloud canopy. After meeting for a coffee at Trade Kitchen (damn fine brews -
both long black and flat white) it was into the rented Toyota Estima and off
past the stadium for Martinborough.
After a couple of
last minute injuries and illnesses (not euphemisms for hangovers as might be
expected) we were down to 5: our host Vince from Vintners, two from the
restaurant trade plus me and Duncan representing good ol’ Regional Wines & Spirits. The ride over was
spent talking wine trends, (and having Dunc in the car meant craft beer got
more than its share of air time for a wine trip). The Rimutakas were just
starting to exert their nauseating influence when they spat us out onto the
plains for the final approach into Martinborough.
The relatively
newly ex-patriated Vince did his best trying to feign local knowledge of
Martinborough but in the end was unable to find more than one of the three
Escarpment single-vineyard sites. Thankfully he knew his way out to Te Muna Road and we
met up with Larry McKenna, who knows his way around. We sat down with Larry and
had a cup of coffee (hand plunged as if it was a just-fermenting vat of pinot) while
we chatted about how the vintage was going (bloody good since you ask…). We
were soon on our way to Pahi vineyard on Princess St to see the guys dealing with the leaf roll virus that’s started to infect the
vineyard, causing the grapes to ripen much more slowly and the leaves to turn a
burnt orange colour (great for photos but winemakers don’t share the same
enthusiasm). Larry is very sad to see Pahi having to be replanted, but with the
over-familiar nature of leaf roll, once it starts, it doesn’t stop.
Next it was back to
Escarpment’s legendary Kupe vineyard and a great photo op (which is my new
screen saver on my phone). Larry is quietly confident that as of the beginning
of April, Martinborough is looking the favourite for top New Zealand
area. As he was saying all this, we could see some ominous rainclouds looming
in the distance – carrying the 40mm of rain that had been predicted.
Fortunately the weather was from the south so it wouldn’t be warm rain (rot),
and Larry reckoned that due to good vineyard management and soil, his vines shouldn’t
be too thirsty to suck up too much water (which could dilute the grapes).
Next it was a spot
of lunch with some delicious wraps and quiches from Providore, enjoyed with a
1988 Martinborough Vineyards Chardonnay from the cellar. The chardonnay had
excellent colour, still showing the essential green tinge, and was surprisingly
youthful though looking a little subdued as you would expect. Larry spent a lot
of the day talking about Burgundian varieties and this was testament to the
ability of the chardonnay to age gracefully, and considering the youth of the
vines in 1988, one wonders how the current models from MV will be looking in 25
years. We followed this with a 2002 Escarpment Pinot Noir, which took a little
while to show itself but improved immensely in the glass without ever reaching
great heights. 2002 was a wet vintage in Martinborough and this very passable
pinot was testament to good winemaking as much as anything, although it was
probably just on the wrong side of the hill.
After having a look
through Escarpment’s impressive in-ground cellar, where among the more
interesting things we saw Larry experimenting with fermenting chardonnay
on-skins ("we don’t really know what’s going to happen”), we headed up to the
sorting table to sift through some pinot noir. I forget which vineyard we were
sorting, but the fruit was spectacular. Very little was pulled out, just the
odd unripe bunch (black good, purple bad) and certainly no signs of botrytis or
rot. They definitely passed the taste test (even the dog was impressed).
It was time to
leave Larry alone so he could do some proper work so we headed next door to see
Steve Smith at Craggy
Range. What an impressive
vineyard! And an embarrassingly racist dog! Manawa, Steve’s 55kg Rhodesian
Ridgeback was showing off to the visitors, patrolling the vineyard and
launching himself at any hapless picker who happened to look at him the wrong
way. Manawa
eventually tired of terrorising vineyard workers and followed us through the
vines, while keeping an eye out for a hare that had bested him on the last few
occasions. Steve showed us the oyster shells he had been using to reflect the
light up to the underbellies of the famous Te Muna Rd and Aroha pinot noirs (the
fruit is looking incredible again), before surveying the lower terraces where
the Te Muna Rd Sauvignon Blanc is grown.
What a contrast! I
felt like Saruman surveying his armies – immaculate rows of Sauvignon Blanc
almost as far as the eye can see. Impressive machine harvesters going about
their business at a steady 8km/h. Getting up close and personal with one of
those is a magnificent experience, such power and yet so gentle to rumble the
grapes off without destroying them. Steve is in awe of the skill of the drivers
and says they never let him have a turn on their $350,000 toy. Fair enough too.
Steve’s knowledge
of vineyard practices is formidable, and he showed us some vines they were
planting on an experimental V trellis system with two poles forming a V at the
end of the row, allowing more sun exposure (I think…among other things).
Steve’s scientific background was very evident during our discussions and I
speak for myself when I say his commitment to making excellent wine from the
ground up is symptomatic of the success of Craggy Range
as a whole. And at the time of writing, Manawa had yet to find that hare.
Last stop and the
culmination of the day was the trade dinner at the Martinborough Wine Centre
and the opportunity to try about 40 wines from various producers around the
district. Highlights were the Te
Kairanga Chardonnays 2009 (Runholder and Estate), the Vynfields Reserve Pinot
Noir 2009, the Martinborough Vineyards Pinot Noir 2009 and the Burnt Spur Pinot
Noir 2009. Dinner was a buffet and a great chance to catch up with some of the
winemakers over a glass or three of wine.
As promised, the rain
arrived in the evening and poor old Vince, our designated driver had to brave
the Rimutakas in the rain on the way back to Wellington. I’d like to say a big thank you
to Vintners, Escarpment, Craggy
Range and Wines of
Martinborough for showing us such a good time. Here’s to another outstanding
vintage after 08, 09 and 2010…