"The Swiss couple make wonderful handmade reds and whites from an array of grapes, from Viognier to Nebbiolo. In fact, the barrel of Nebbiolo they make is like something from the best of Barolo. Unfortunately, they are tiny production." James Suckling, October 2022 (Suckling is internationally regarded as one of the world's most influential wine critics.)

The wine that dreams are made of must have been a Nebbiolo. A gorgeous wine balanced and poised with heady aromas of floral and light red fruit. On the smooth, juicy palate, polished tannins support succulent cherries, prunes, wild herbs and truffle. It’s already delicious and accessible but will age like your best Barolo or Barbaresco.

Tasting Nebbiolo is an arresting experience because the floral and light red fruit aromas suggest a wine much lighter than it is. Tasting blind it is easy mistaken for a great Grand Cru Burgundy with its firm grip of the pronounced acidity and ethereal structure. This Nebbiolo is without rival, we felt transported to Piemonte, reminiscing of wild herbs, cherries, truffles and prunes. The silky, soft texture and delicious sweetness of the extracts, upheld by a great acidity enough to make the mouthfeel velvety and seductive. A truly regal wine - pure, elegant and perfectly balanced that will last forever if you have the heart to keep it aside.

WINEMAKING NOTES

This wine was made from grapes grown on the sandy silty top terrace of the Askerne vineyard. The grapes were fermented in open top tanks with inoculated yeast to bring out the best of the Barbera aromatics.  Gentle hand plunging was used for extraction, and the wine was then held on skins for an extended period of 3 weeks of post ferment maceration for tannin development. The wine was then pressed and racked to French oak barriques where it was aged for 9 months. The final blend has a 25% new oak component.

ANALYSIS

pH 3.87

TA 5.6 g/l

Alcohol 13.5 %

TASTING NOTES

Fragrant with aromas of sweet plum spice, tart blackberry, cherry, and subtle notes of star anise. Delicious with juicy acidity and fine tannins, on a palate full of concentrated tart berry fruit flavours.

Fruity dark flavours and uber complex in taste, this new Gamay from Dicey offers a spectrum of blackcurrant fruit flavours and impressive depth of flavour from 16% whole bunch fermentation while the majority (84%) of fruit was destemmed. Wild yeast fermentation and natural malolactic fermentation were followed by ageing in old oak barrels (considered neutral in terms of flavour).

The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

Soft spicy and flavoursome red made from Gamay (the Beaujolais grape), only in this case grown on the Two Terraces Vineyard at Maraekakaho in Hawke's Bay. Lifted fruity aromas accentuate the soft, intense perfume of the Gamay grape, which expresses itself with full force in this fragrant lovely red fruited wine. 

The wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts and given 100% carbonic maceration and aged in a combination of large clay amphora from Spain and older oak barrels. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

"Hand-harvested, de-stemmed and fermented in small parcels, then aged in French oak before being blended in the Bordeaux style.  This wine is unfined and unfiltered, so is also suitable for vegans.

Ripe blackberry, chocolate and spice on the palate, with soft tannins and a dry finish.  Can be cellared for a further 8 years."

VARIETIES
Pinot Noir & Syrah

VINEYARDS
The grapes are mainly from Alex Craighead’s property and some lease blocks, with the balance being brought in.

FERMENTATION
50% skin ferment Pinot Noir, with destemmed Pinot Noir on top.
Macerated for 7-10 days, later blended with 5 day macerated fully destemmed Syrah.

MATURATION
Aged in stainless steel. TSO2 12-30ppm (max 30ppm added)
ALCOHOL 11.5%

WINEMAKER
Alex Craighead & Kazuomi Fujimaki

‘Ojiisan’ (informal) means ‘uncle’ in Japanese. Ojisan is a collaborative project between Alex Craighead in New Zealand and Kazuomi Fujimaki of Grape Republic in Japan. Ojisan is a collaboration brand between Alex Craighead and Kazuomi Fujimaki of Japan. Alex and his partner - Josefina Venturino - were always drawn to
low intervention wines and winemaking, there wasn’t a lot on offer in New Zealand, so they began to experiment with zero sulphur wines in 2013. In 2014 they released their first wines in Martinborough before they moved to Nelson in 2016, where they bought an existing organic winery and vineyard.

VARIETIES
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer

VINEYARDS
The grapes are mainly from Alex Craighead’s property and some lease blocks, with the balance being brought in.

FERMENTATION
One night skin contact on the Pinot and chardonnay, 5 day skin fermented on the Gris and Gewürztraminer. Fermented in stainless and old oak.

MATURATION
Aged in stainless steel. TSO2 12-30ppm (max 30ppm added)
ALCOHOL - 11.5%

WINEMAKER
Alex Craighead & Kazuomi Fujimaki

SENSORY
Loads of bright red fruits such as strawberries and raspberries complemented by floral notes and hints of citrus zest. Light, soft, and juicy. The mouthfeel is soft and smooth, making it an easydrinking rosé. The finish is clean and crisp with a hint of minerality. 

SWEETNESS
Dry

Ojisan is a collaboration brand between Alex Craighead and Kazuomi Fujimaki of Japan. Alex and his partner - Josefina Venturino - were always drawn to
low intervention wines and winemaking, there wasn’t a lot on offer in New Zealand, so they began to experiment with zero sulphur wines in 2013. In 2014 they released their first wines in Martinborough before they moved to Nelson in 2016, where they bought an existing organic winery and vineyard.

Tasting Note: A lifted and expressive blend of Merlot and Tannat, showing aromas of dark berries, plum and subtle florals, layered with notes of spice and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied and supple, with bramble fruit supported by fine tannins and fresh acidity. Balanced and approachable, finishing smooth with a gentle savoury edge.

Alcohol: 13.0%

Variety: Merlot & Tannat

Region: Northland, New Zealand

Vineyards
- The McKenzie vineyard is located in Waipara close to the winery. The vineyard is a free draining terrace site. The average age of vines varies from 16 years or older.

Wine Making
- All hand harvested in late April and early May
- Harvest brix ranged from 22-23 brix [% sugar]
- Fermentation was in small vessels [1500L] 3 day cool soak, inoculated with yeast,
fermentation varies from 4-6 days peaking at 32 C then allowed 7-10 days on skins. Some components were given extended skin contact up to 28 days.
- Pressing was in traditional Basket Press
- Cooperage was a mixture of French barrels ranging in age from new to 6+ years. Duration is approx 18 months
- Malo lactic [ML] fermentation is natural starting in Spring and the wine is racked and has a SO2 addition once ML complete.
- Bottling is through 1 micron filter

Bottle Details
- Alcohol 13.0 % by volume
- Acid is 5.5 gm/L [as tartaric]
- Volatile Acidity is 0.45 gm/L
- Residual Sugar is < 1 gm/L

Winemakers Rod and Emma Easthope make one of New Zealand's few Gamays from the Two Terraces Vineyards in Maraekakaho, Hawke's Bay. It's a vineyard owned by Ian Quinn, a fellow lover of the velvet smooth reds that the Gamay grape is capable of making. 

This lovely wine is made from hand picked grapes, which were whole bunch fermented, foot stomped and aged in a combination of old oak puncheons and stone eggs.

Bottled unfined, unfiltered and unsulphured.