The notion of varietal
purity is a strong and easy one for wine enthusiasts to accept. While blending is recognised as a tool for
achieving balance and completeness, there is often an underlying feeling that
there is compromise and that varietal characteristics are lost. However, there are probably more great wines
in the world made by the coming together of more than one grape variety than
there are made from one variety. One
only needs to look at the red and sweet wines of Bordeaux, and even more extreme, the red
wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape where the use of up to13 different varieties is
permitted, as examples. With wine, the
Gestalt psychological explanation ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the
parts’ can be applicable and very true.
In France, Alsace
is a unique appellation in that grape variety is allowed and prominent on the
label, rather than only the geographical origin of the fruit. Interestingly, a number of high profile
producers, such as Hugel and Marcel Deiss have successfully made and marketed
wines that are blends of the aromatic varieties, sold under a proprietary brand
or the vineyard name. There are two
approaches to making these wines, one of blending the different varieties after
picking each at full ripeness and subsequent fermentation, and secondly,
picking the varieties simultaneously with co-fermentation to achieve greater
integration. These wines have become the
inspiration for several similar blends released here in New Zealand. We offer two excellent wines in this mould
that will make wonderful and intriguing drinking with Asian-themed or
Pacific-rim cuisine, especially over the summer months:
Millton ‘Clos Monique’ Gisborne ‘Les Trois
Enfants’ 2009
Affectionately
called ‘The Three Kids’ by James Millton,
this is the harvest of approx. 50% Gewurztraminer, 12.5% Muscat a petit grains
and 37.5% Viognier from one vineyard, co-fermented to 14.0% alc. and 7 g/l
residual sugar. Youthful pale straw in
appearance, this had a beautifully aromatic bouquet of musky floral and grapes,
typically Muscat
in expression. On palate, it is fairly
well dry, showing a little alcoholic heat on entry, but with excellent weight
and rounded textures, no doubt from the Viognier, with spices and earth of
well-ripened Gewurztraminer dominating the flavours. Lifted florals from the Muscat sit in the background. The wine is round and lush through the
palate, but pleasingly dry and clean on the finish. According to James
Millton, a serendipitous vinification, but obviously one that
come together exceptionally well.
Te Whare Ra Marlborough ‘Toru’ 2008
Anna and
Jason Flowerday have lovingly restored to glory the pioneering boutique Te
Whare Ra. After extensive winemaking
experience in Australia, the
beauty of the aromatics in cooler-climate wines led them to purchase the Marlborough winery and
vineyards. This is a groundbreaking
blend of three varieties (Toru meaning ‘three’ in Maori) – Gewurztraminer,
Riesling and Pinot Gris, resulting in 13.8% alc and 10.4 g/l residual
sugar. A relatively gentle wine, this
shows an excellent balance of componentry where all three varieties are expressed
evenly and in an attractively layered way.
Steely, crisp, minerally acidity from the Riesling, excellent floral
spice notes from the Gewurztraminer, and rounded, but definite textures and
weight from the Pinot Gris all combined well.
An all-purpose wine that will find ready favour with a diverse range of
wine drinkers.