By Raymond Chan
Following a brilliant tasting last year with Steve Green, proprietor of Carrick, it was a pleasure to have his new winemaker, Jane Docherty, conduct this tasting of a selection of Carrick's wines at Regional Wines. Though only having had her first vintage at Carrick, her experience in Bannockburn includes stints at Felton Road and Mt Difficulty. Jane sees her role as someone who ensures the quality of the fruit from the vineyards is preserved and captured in the bottle. With a passion for Riesling and Pinot Noir, varieties that show terroir, she is well suited to her position at Carrick, obviously one of the favoured sites and producers in Central Otago. Her tasting introduced her first 2008 aromatic wines, a vertical tasting of the ‘EBM' Chardonnay and a preview of the new single-vineyard ‘Excelsior' Pinot Noir. Here are my notes from the tasting:
Flight One: Aromatics
Introducing the tasting was the Carrick Pinot Gris 2008 (18.0+/20), pale and youthful in colour, showing ripe stonefruit characters with a little wild yeast and nutty funkiness, but good weight and fresh acidity being the feature. Dry at 6 g.l rs and 13.5% alc, only 77 cases were made.
Three Rieslings of varying sweetness levels followed. Firstly the Carrick Dry Riesling 2008 (18.5+/20) with 12.5% alc and 8 g/l rs, this had a voluminous nose of ripe citrus and peach fruit with attractive blossom notes. Full-flavoured, this had good weight and fruit extract and a serious effort. In comparison, the Carrick Riesling 2008 (18.0/20) at 12.0% alc and 18 g/l rs was more restrained and shy with delicate mineral flavours. More acidic, this was steely and classically built for long term development. The Carrick ‘Josephine' Riesling 2008 (19.0-/20) at 9.5% alc and 50 g/l displayed late harvest honey flavours balanced beautifully with the excellent acidity and finely textured palate of lime and zest fruit notes.
The four aromatic wines were an auspicious start to the tasting, showing that Jane's passion for the aromatics and Rieslings in particular will contribute to the Carrick portfolio.
Flight Two: ‘EBM' Chardonnay 2002 – 2006
Carrick's Chardonnay wines have been among the most successful in Central Otago. Previous winemaker Steve Davies had much enthusiasm for the variety and the ‘Extended Barrel Maturation' Chardonnay wine, given 18 months barrel aging, was developed to further integrate the oak, fruit and acid componentry for a more harmonious style. The result has been some of the best Chardonnay releases in a serious style. This vertical tasting of the ‘EBM' Chardonnay was a feature of the tasting. Starting from the oldest, the Carrick ‘EBM' Chardonnay 2002 (18.0/20) was from a good, hot year. Looking mature, this was full, fat and broad with plenty of toasty oak, alcoholic warmth and creamy barrel-ferment characters, fully mature with oxidative notes, and a little old-fashioned in the context of today's elegant numbers. From a textbook, ‘average' vintage, the Carrick ‘EBM' Chardonnay 2003 (17.5+/20) was fresher, with cooler stonefruit notes. Some bottle-age vegetal and herbal elements came through, but sat comfortably with the leesy notes and fresh, crisp cut. Some alcohol noticeable. The Carrick ‘EBM' Chardonnay 2004 (18.0-/20) was from a cool vintage affected by frost. Very white burgundian with nutty flavours and sulphide complexities that seem to be the trend nowadays, this was tight and elegant, and was generally liked by the group, though a departure from the expected ‘EBM' style for me. 2005 was a cool vintage with very low crops and small berries. The Carrick ‘EBM' Chardonnay 2005 (18.0/20) was similar to the 2004, elegant and tight with stonefruits, nuts and a sulphidic complexity in the best sense. Stylishly shy and fresh with good acidity, this should develop well in the near future. From a very good, ripe vintage, the Carrick ‘EBM' Chardonnay 2006 (18.5+/20) displayed gorgeously ripe citrus and tropical fruits with mealy and nutty complexities on a creamy textured palate showing the benefits of fermentation and longer maturation in oak. As good as this style may get in Central Otago?
It will be interesting to see if the ‘EBM' Chardonnay will take a slightly different direction with Jane's input. It is suggested that the Central Otago expression of Chardonnay with its minerally flavours and firmer acidity may be well-suited to a fruit-driven, Chablis-styled wine.
Flight Three: Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir has been successful for Carrick, a reflection of the good sites and management of the vines. The as-yet-unreleased Carrick Pinot Noir 2007 (18.5+/20), a result of low yields with small berries was very youthful and primary with its bright cherry-berry fruit, fresh acidity and fine-grained tight tannins. A whisker of reduction showed, but that should integrate. In comparison, the Carrick Pinot Noir 2006 (18.0+/20), from a larger crop of well-ripened fruit, was softer, fuller and more open in expression. Ripe dark fruits with thyme and savoury nuances were showing and the higher extraction ratio stood out. It was a treat to preview the Carrick ‘Excelsior' Pinot Noir 2005 (19.0+/20), a 150 case selection from older vines from the Cairnmuir block. Named after the coal mine originally running under the vineyard, and sporting a Grahame Sydney paining on the label, this was indeed a powerful and concentrated wine with great extract and weight and fulsome flavours of savoury red fruits with game and hints of forest complexity appearing. A brackish element suggested its youthfulness. There is plenty of richness to see this age a decade easily.
In discussing this wine, it seemed possible for further single-vineyard expressions of Carrick's Pinot Noirs. Based on the quality of the regular 2005 Pinot Noir, it is obvious that much care has been taken to preserve the integrity of the main label and allow this single-vineyard style be bottled if the quality and quantity of fruit allows it to be done.