The Nautilus shell is a thing of natural beauty
and an example of the logarithmic spiral. In some ways, it is a perfect representation
of the elegant construction and orderly class of the wines from the Nautilus
winery in Marlborough. Nautilus Estate is the creation of Robert
Hill Smith head of the Yalumba winery in the Barossa. Along with Yalumba’s white wine maker Alan
Hoey, Hill Smith established Nautilus to their exacting standards and released
their first wines in 1985, a quarter of a century ago. Nautilus can truly lay claim for being one of
the senior performers in Marlborough; the wines
are classical, straight-down the line Marlborough
expressions, with the understated elegance that is timeless, as the marvel of
the Nautilus shell.
Clive Jones has been winery manager and winemaker
since 1998 and he has been at the heart of seeing the Nautilus label
consolidate its reputation. This is in no small way due to the acquisition and
development of superbly sited vineyards.
Supplementing the home Renwick site, Nautilus draws fruit from the Awatere River
vineyard, the Opawa site in Rapaura, the Kaituna and Lanark Lane vineyards in the Wairau and
the Clay Hills site in the Omaka sub-region. As the vines have come on stream and matured,
the concentration of the wines has increased, and more importantly, the vines’
performance has become very consistent, in all manner of vintages. 2008 was generally a difficult harvest in Marlborough, with high
yields and disease pressure a constant threat to the quality. Yet Nautilus unsurprisingly made an
outstanding pair of wines from the burgundian varietal twins of Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir. They are worth ‘shelling
out” for!
Nautilus Marlborough Chardonnay
2008
Sporting a light straw yellow-gold colour, this
wine has a lovely aromatic bouquet of citrus fruits, nuts and acacia florals,
very much as in Puligny-Montrachet. On
palate, this is a very fine, elegantly constructed wine with a tight core of
fruit that is satisfying in richness, yet sufficiently rich and rounded in
mouthfeel to provide immediate drinkability.
The harmonious nature of the wine belies the sophistication built into
it. Nuances of tropical fruits, toasty
oak and smoke unfold in the glass. Made
from clone 15 Chardonnay grown in the home Renwick vineyard blended with Dijon
clone 95 from the Greer vineyard on Rapaura Road, this was 100% barrel
fermented, a portion with wild yeasts to 13.5% alc, then oak matured with lees
stirring for added richness and creaminess of texture. Drink this with seafood, naturally, over the
next 3-5 years.
Nautilus Marlborough Pinot Noir
2008
The level of complexity and structure of the
Nautilus Pinot Noir has increased markedly with the contribution of the fruit
from the clay slopes to that of the Awatere and Wairau. Clones 114, 115, 5, 667 and 777 from six
vineyard sites were employed with 100% destemming, but this included whole
berries. The fruit was given a cold soak
for a week before fermentation to 14.0% alc.
The must was punched down for gentle extraction and the wine matured in
new and seasoned French oak for a year before bottling. Bright, deep, ruby red in colour, this has
bright, vibrant soft red fruit aromas with strawberry, florals and plums
showing. On palate, the silky texture
exudes elegance, and the smoothness is matched by juicy red fruits and a
finely-grained tannin backbone providing structure, line and length. This will be an excellent match with salmon,
tuna and roasted duck dishes over the next 4-6 years. Marlborough Pinot Noir is to be taken seriously,
based on the showing of this excellent wine from the 2008 vintage.