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 2002 vintage is drawing to a close as I write this; the last Pinot Noir is in fermenters
and only the Block 1 Riesling is still on the vines. A fan-tail is singing behind me as
it flits around the winery polishing off fruit flies.
It has been the earliest vintage in our short history and undoubtedly one of the very
finest. We started picking on March 26th and mainly cool but clement weather has enabled
us to pick in an orderly fashion, bringing each block in at optimum ripeness. Locals are
amazed that what they have seen as a lacklustre summer should be so exceptional, but it
has been the gentle nature with no heat waves and lack of heavy rainfall or wind which
has subtly coaxed the vines to such perfection. Yields are the smallest yet, but we expect
the dividend in quality to be tremendous, with some new wines: vineyard designate Pinot
Noir from "The Sluicings" and "Calvert"
vineyards looking likely.
The vineyards are looking spectacular now; striations of gold, russet and crimson forming
as the different varieties reveal themselves, colouring into their characteristic autumn
hues.
After our trips to California and Oregon last year the theme of this year is putting
what we have learned into practice. The first five truckloads of organic manure arrived
last week from Southland. It will be mixed with the skins and stems from the last two vintages
and once suitably mature will form a key part of our soil trials. Added to this we now
have no fewer than ten different cover crops being trialled between the rows of vines;
some add nutrients, some de-vigorate the soil, others form a habitat for insects which
help us fight pests. This is all part of our fine tuning the balance of the vines as they
mature.
The other big change is the emergence of a huge hole behind the winery. The diggers have
started shifting hundreds of tons of soil to build the new barrel rooms into the hillside.
They will give us the space and control to age wines longer and further enhance their complexity
and balance, not to mention a great party venue!
Gareth is off to West Coast USA this winter to further our research there, while Nigel and
myself are off to Burgundy to conduct the same exercise back in the home of Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay. We find we are inspired by these trips to push our mindset to new horizons as
well as learning enormous amounts of practical value.
I always find it hard to think what to say about the new releases, simply because as we
release one vintage we are flat out making the next one and my head is so full of 2002 and
worrying over my new babies, that I tend to forget about the ones ready to leave home. This
year two of the 2001 wines are being held back for late release; the 2001 Pinot Noir Block
5 follows its predecessors in getting an extra six months in older oak. It is joined by an
unfiltered Chardonnay Block 2, which will also be released towards the end of the year.
Block 3 has already been offered in three bottle allocations to members of the "Block
list" made up of our longest serving mail order and cellar door customers. There is
a waiting list to join this and if you wish to be placed on it, please let us know.
We are delighted to offer you the 2001 Pinot Noir and 2001 Chardonnay Barrel Fermented.
The 2001 Pinot Noir expresses an elegance and maturity while the 2001 Chardonnay Barrel Fermented
is heading in the direction we have longed for: refinement and elegance with Central Otago's
hallmark crispness.
We are now down to our last few cases of 2001 Riesling, Dry Riesling and Chardonnay all
of which have continued to develop well in bottle. Unfortunately the 2001 Vin Gris has sold
out leaving many fans facing a long wait: none will be made in the 2002 vintage. It is a
unique wine, with great cellaring potential as the 1999 Vin Gris is now demonstrating.
We hope you enjoy our new wines and look forward to seeing you if you are in the area.
Cheers,
Blair Walter
Winemaker
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