By Raymond Chan
Every once in a while, we meet someone who we believe has the passion and the foresight to create a wine that will rock the wine scene in New Zealand, and we at Regional Wines met such a person at the end of last year. That person is Mark Blake, who desperately desires to craft a world-class Bordeaux-varieties red wine from the Gimblett Gravels region in Hawke's Bay under the Blake Family Vineyard (BFV) label.
Coming to Hawke's Bay from the San Francisco area for outdoor pursuits over the past several years, Mark saw the potential for classically-styled wine emerging from this region over any other location world-wide, other than Bordeaux itself. Combined with utilising quality parameters employed by the finest winemakers in St Emilion, Pomerol and the Napa Valley, Mark believes that wine he can make will be on a similar footing to the best from these world-renowned vignobles.
In 2000, Mark purchased 10.11 hectares (25 acres) in Gimblett Road. Soils are mostly Omahu stony gravels, generally flat, with hollows and ridged formed by alluvial channels. Though originally planted with vines in 1981, the site was completely replanted in 2002 and 2003 to change and improve row orientation, spacing, clones and rootstock, and introduce close-planting. The yields are kept low at approx. 1.25 kb per vine. Mark hired Wendy Dowling as the BFV viticulturist.
The BFV winemaker is Jason Exposto, who employs native yeast fermentation in small oak cuves and stainless steel tanks, malolactic fermentation and aging in 225L French barriques, batonnage, plus micro-oxygenation, as well as a double sorting table which is essential in ensuring perfect fruit selection. Mark has invested heavily in the state-of-art equipment for BFV.
At present, Mark has not yet released any wine under the Blake Family Vineyard name. A second tier label, Alluviale, has been in use for wines made and sold from the 2003 and 2004 vintages. Several of the staff of Regional Wines were privileged to attend a function which showed the Alluviale wines from 2003-2005 along with the yet to be commercialised 2004 and 2005 Blake Family Vineyards ‘125 Gimblett Road' premier wine.
The Alluviale and top BFV wines were presented with a range of top-flight New Zealand, North American and Bordeaux reds at a dinner served at Boulcott Street Bistro. Mark Blake's wines looked very much in place with the other wines tasted. Here are my brief notes on all of the wines tasted. The wines were not served blind:
Pre-Tasters
Taittinger Champagne Brut Reserve NV
Soft, fine and integrated with good balance. Chardonnay lift and elegance, up-front, but with style and a degree of finesse. 18.0-/20
L'Arlot Nuits-St-Georges ‘Clos de L'Arlot' Blanc 1998
Rare Cote de Nuits white from Chardonnay. A solid, robust wine with nuttiness and a touch of oxidation. But rounded and with richness and good length. A firmness underneath. On its plateau now. 18.0+/20
Flight One: Alluviale
Wines made not to the standard of the premier label of BFV, but deemed worthy of marketing under the second tier label of ‘Alluviale'. Well-made wines of high quality, providing very good value. The 2003 now sold out and the 2004 the currently available wine, 2005 yet to be release.
Alluviale 2003 RRP NZD$26.95
50% CS, 33% Me, 17% CF. An elegant, tight wine, hint of coolish fruit and toasty oak notes on bouquet. Soft and tight on palate with good richness of flavour, some coolness of fruit expression, excellent textures. 17.5+/20
Alluviale 2004 RRP NZD$26.95
65% Me, 30% CS, 5% CF. Very fine, elegant and tight on the nose, aromatic with some lift. This has excellent ripeness with sweetness and lusciousness of fruit flavour and very fine grained tannins from refined extraction giving excellent structure. 18.5+/20
Alluviale 2005 RRP NZD$26.95
43% Me, 43% CS, 14% CF. Excellent aromatics, rich and deep, but still tightly bound at present. Soft, full, rich and ripe, lovely balance of all components, great balance. This should develop over the next few years to show its quality. 18.0+/20
Flight Two: Blake Family Vineyard ‘125 Gimblett Road'
The premier label of Blake Family Vineyard, the 2004 finished wine, but not yet released. The 2005 an assembled sample, representative of the finished wine. Pricing yet to be finalised, but possibly in the region of NZD$80.00 TO USD$80.00. The wines fit in with the New Zealand model of Bordeaux-varietal styled wines, at the premium end. It may be the power of suggestion, but they seem to offer ‘more presence'?
BFV 2004 RRP TBC
53% Me, 47% CF. Elegant lifted nose, a touch of VA, lovely florals and spices on bouquet. Real richness and sweetness of fruit on palate, quite succulent, showing excellent ripeness. This has depth and concentration. The fruit has wonderful floral notes, and while the wine is more than the Alluviale 2004, this retains the essential balance and finesse. 19.0-/20
BFV 2005 (sample) RRP TBC
40% Me, 30% CS, 30% CF. Massive wine with density and concentration. Ripe dark fruits showing. Huge and powerful on palate with full ripeness, the fruit in dark berries and dark plums. Chunky and solid, but with a sense of style. Should develop with some grace. (19.0+/20)
Flight Three: Top N.Z. Bordeaux-Varietal Wines
To gain a perspective of the BFV and Alluvialle wines in relation to the better New Zealand examples. These three displayed a full range from soft and fine Merlot predominant to firm Cabernet based.
Craggy Range ‘Sophia' 2004 RRP NZD$49.95
92% Me, 7% CF, 1% CS. Dark wine, with powerful dark fruits, rich and oaky. This is a big, full, robust and tannic wine built n structure. Some alcohol, huge and a statement wine. 18.5+/20
Villa Maria Reserve Merlot 2004 RRP NZD$39.95
100% Me. Sweet aromas, lactic milky nose with noticeable almost American oak like aromas. Sweetly ripe, fine, luscious, with freshness and juiciness. Superb sweetness and soft balance. 19.0-/20
Sacred Hill ‘Helmsman' Cabernet/Merlot 2004 RRP NZD$59.95
CS and Me. Some stalk and herb aromatics of Cabernet Sauvignon, well-ripened, some reduction. Cabernet predominates, reductive notes on palate, firm through palate. Requires time. 17.5+/20
Flight Four: North American Wines
Two top-flight North American wines, representing Mark Blake's home ground and if any influence in the BFV is detectable. Certainly Mark discussed the ‘American' tolerance towards ripeness, sweetness, oakiness and volatility.
Caymus ‘Special Selection' Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 RRP USD$155.00
100% CS, Napa Valley. Remarkably elegant on nose with cooler varietal Cabernet showing, some brackish notes. On the palate rich with sweet, plush fruit, juicy, alcohol noticeable, complex spice and oak components, fine drying tannins on finish. 19.0-/20
Andrew Will Red Mountain ‘Ciel du Cheval' 2003 RRP USD$60.00
42% Me, 36% CF, 16% CS, 5% PV, Columbia Valley. Sweet, aromatic, lifted fruit, some cooler berry notes, attractively rich, just nee