Clos de Ste Anne... Best hillside in Gisborne
Posted by Joelle Thomson on
Gisborne's greatest Chenin Blanc vineyard
A love of Chenin Blanc led winemakers James and Annie Millton to create their top white wine from a steep, north west facing hillside and they called this land the Clos de Ste Anne vineyard. The inspiration for the name comes from the French word clos, which loosely translates as a walled area and is used by winemakers to refer to a special site. In this case, the Clos is home to four distinct areas on the hillside. They are called The Crucible Syrah, Naboth's Vineyard, Les Arbres and La Bas.
The best known wines from Millton have always been based on grapes that are often regarded as alternative. Enter Chenin Blanc, which would all but have died out in New Zealand, had it not been for the Millton' collective dedication to this great French white grape. Their early love affair with this wine led to them becoming one of the key pioneers of high quality Chenin Blanc in New Zealand, a position they have stuck to for decades and led them to create this top quality expression of Chenin.
What it tastes like
This beautiful full bodied, dry and superbly fresh tasting Chenin Blanc is the most impressive of the current line up of wines from the Clos de Ste Anne Vineyard. La Bas is characterised by its succulent acidity, which makes for a compelling wine with a beeswaxy texture and great layers of fresh fruit flavours spanning white peach to green apples and even a touch of honey but all held together in a dry wine.
Here is a Chenin Blanc to give the best from France a real run for their money.