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Wine Review

Fromm Winery & La Strada 2008

By Raymond Chan
The ever-thoughtful Hatsch Kalberer brings a precision to his European-inspired winemaking to his Fromm labelled wines that makes them very special and most suited to fine dining in the classical sense. The Fromm wines are indeed superb and show vineyard site supremely. Many commentators have found the wines so styled that they differ from typical New Zealand wines to the extent that they are difficult to understand and put them into their best setting. Come on board William Hoare, with his Marlborough sensibility and perspectives. Having spent a good number of vintages at Fromm, his input has put another dimension to the Fromm wines and allowed the La Strada designation become much clearer. Fromm expresses terroir as pure as it can be done, European inspired La Strada shows style, Marlborough style, with New World understanding.

We welcomed Hatsch Kalberer in this tasting of the current release wines and some with a little age to see their development. Fromm and La Strada were shown, with clarity. Here are my notes on the wines:

Riesling


Such is the nobility of Riesling that Hatsch and William could not see these wine under anything but Fromm, even though they are not terroir expressive, but stylistically separated! The Fromm Dry Riesling 2007 (18.5/20) at 12.5% alc. and less than 1 g/l rs was elegant and tight, with great length and line. Beautifully nuanced lime and mineral flavours, juicy and rich from the quality of the fruit, very fine-grained and with precision to die-for. At 7.5% alc. and 83 g/l rs, the Fromm Riesling Spatlese 2007 (19.0-/20) has Germanic style and structure. Delicate and shy on nose at present, the wine had beautiful acacia blossom, florals, honey and minerals on a medium sweet palate. Elegant, concentrated, with absolutely no phenolics and a long, nuanced finish.

Chardonnay


Hatsch Kalberer and William Hoare are confirmed white burgundy fanatics and as such, use these wines as models for their Chardonnays. The La Strada Chardonnay 2006 (18.0-/20) saw no oak, but was in lees contact for 12 months and had 100% MLF. Youthful in appearance, this was tight, but solid on nose, refined mealy and nutty flavours yet a richness, weight and texture. Remarkably white burgundian. The Fromm ‘Clayvin’ Chardonnay 2005 (19.0-/20) fermented and aged 16 months in old Burgundy barrels had a little golden hue to the colour, but was elegant, pure and minerally with a floral-nutty note as in Puligny-Montrachet. Lovely freshness and acidity, some oak aldehyde hints, this has finesse, power and class.

Pinot Noir


This has become Fromm’s calling card and the wines are regarded as among the country’s best. They avoid any winemaker artifact and faithfully represent the origin of the fruit. The La Strada Pinot Noir 2005 (17/5+/20) was ruby red with garnet hues. Bright and youthful on nose with raw, edgy raspberry and plum aromas and flavours. Softer and more rounded on the palate, with moderate, supple extraction, this was very approachable. The Fromm ‘Brancott’ Pinot Noir 2005 (18.5-/20) was darker, with more purple hues. Bright raspberry and cherry fruit expressed with more line and precision, this had depth and concentration and a firmness which will need 4-5 years to open out fully.
A single site wine, the Fromm ‘Clayvin’ Pinot Noir 2005 (19.0-/20) was garnet coloured with a very intense, linear nose of dark cherry-berry aromas with floralds as well as a forest floor complexing nuance. Plush, juicy and rich, there was a tight, fine-grained tannin intensity giving refinement and real length. The Fromm ‘Fromm’ Pinot Noir 2005 (19.0-/20), also a single site wine, was lighter again in colour, with a very shy, restrained, minerally and edgy nose and an iron core to the dark berry fruit. Tannin extraction is serious, this is very concentrated. A wine with great structure and length.

Syrah


Though regarded as cool and marginal for Syrah in Marlborough, Fromm has confounded the critics over the years with a series of excellent wines grown in special sites. The La Strada Syrah 2006 (17.0+/20) includes a very small amount of Viognier. It was redolent of white pepper and spices, with black fruits. Well-ripened, the aromatics were very attractive. On the palate, a little lighter, some herb notes, moderately rich with fine tannins. A good cooler expression. The Fromm ‘Fromm’ Syrah 2005 (18.0/20) was classical coolish Syrah with cracked black pepper fruit expression along with dried herb nuances as well as florals. Tannin extraction was notable, and a step up in seriousness. Fresh acidity and its elegance will ensure good aging over the next 5-7 years.
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DAVID

Easter weekend I flew up to Auckland and had a great time visiting family. I made sure I went to Maison Vauron, a must if you enjoy French wines and also Galbraiths to try a few craft beers.

RICHARD

Roast Chicken for dinner evidently. Which Kumeu River Chardy shall I choose?
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