As a wine producing region, Gisborne is unequalled when it comes to wines
that are rich, satisfying, decadent and exotic in their sheer richness of
flavour and exotic, inviting expression.
While a diverse range of white wine varieties has proven successful in
the fertile soils, three stand out with a track record of consistent style to
the extent that they can be regarded as exceptional in representing the
region. We offer an example of each of
the three varieties that will astound you.
All have been promoted before at Regional Wines, and all are more than
worthy of highlighting again:
Spade Oak Gisborne Viognier 2007
Viognier is still finding its feet in this country, but there is no doubt
the best examples come from Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, where there is sufficient
heat in the growing season to see the requisite full ripening of the variety to
allow the amazingly exotic aromatic nature and textural quality of Viognier to
be expressed. Spade Oak is the label for
veteran winemaker Steve Voysey and his wife Eileen, who grow their fruit in the
‘Heart of Gold’ Central Valley region of
Gisborne. This wine is 94% Viognier and
6% Chardonnay wild fermented to 14.4% alc. and 5.3 g/l rs and aged 16 months in
seasoned oak with 50% of the wine undergoing MLF. Few Viognier wines have such breadth and
weight, and the aromas and flavours of apricots, ginger, citrus blossom and
spice continually unfold in the glass, revealing vanilla, roasted nuts and oak.
It develops complex ‘funky’ nuances,
lifting it into the outstanding. This is
a magnificent wine that will accompany a full range of foods. As Viognier wines evolve superbly with
breathing; if you don’t finish the bottle, the Spade Oak looks even better the
next day. The revolutionary Vino-Lok
glass stopper closure, developed in Germany provides a perfect seal!
Villa Maria Reserve Gisborne
Barrique Fermented Chardonnay 2007
The self-professed title that Gisborne has of ‘Chardonnay Capital of New
Zealand’ has a great deal of truth behind it.
The Gisborne style of Chardonnay is well-known for its ‘user-friendly’
and readily accessible style. Fully
ripened aromas and flavours of tropical fruits abound in the best Gisborne
Chardonnays, and the soft, rounded and juicy succulence of the wines is nearly
a unique feature. Gisborne Chardonnays
enter the realm of world-class wines when complexity is created through
sensitive winemaker input with wild yeast and barrel-fermentation, lees-stirring
and malolactic fermentation, to create wines which are reminiscent of leading
examples of Meursault white burgundy.
Villa Maria has done this with Gisborne Chardonnay for around two
decades now. The company’s Reserve Barrique
Fermented Chardonnay is a flagship for them and was a pioneer for this style
for New Zealand. Villa Maria has not stood still and has
incorporated finesse and a degree of elegance over the years. This 2007 vintage of Villa Maria Reserve
Gisborne wine is clone 95 and Mendoza
fruit fermented to 14.0% alc. and was aged 10 months in 44% new French oak. It was the Champion Wine of the Show at this
year’s Bragato Wine Awards and Champion Chardonnay at the Air N.Z. Wine
Awards. It is one of the greatest
Chardonnays released this year.
Vinoptima Ormond Gewurztraminer
2004
This is one wine that will confound all that expected
of New Zealand Gewurztraminers in that after five years of age, it is still
nowhere near its peak maturity. Nick
Nobilo created Vinoptima with the aim of making a Gewurztraminer that would sit
among the world’s best. It is indeed
different from all other examples of this variety, and if judged solely on
longevity, it would rate head and shoulders above any other similarly vintaged
wine made in this country. Gisborne has
a proud history with Gewurztraminer, the wines of Denis Irwin of Matawhero
world famous in the late 1970s. The
region produces bigger, bolder and broader versions than the rest of the
country, and the flavours sit around the ginger and spice spectrum rather than
the florals and rose-water side. The
Gisborne examples have texture, extract and breadth, which lends them substance
and mouthfeel, and this enables them to match diverse foods. Nick’s vision with Gewurztraminer began with
his experience with the variety in the early 1980s and this led him to isolate
top clonal material, which is incorporated into the Vinoptima wine. This
combined with European inspired winemaking with the finest winery equipment,
the 2004 Vinoptima Gewurztraminer is a super-star Alsace look-alike. As 2004 was an outstanding year, this is an
even more outstanding wine. Don’t be
surprised if it will develop another decade.
In the meantime, enjoy with quality Asian and Middle Eastern fare,
shared among your best friends.