SPRING 2010

New Zealand Chardonnay North and South

• If you lIke the ImaGeS IN thIS wINe taSte Go to: www.allaNjohNStoN.co.Nz foR maNy moRe.

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have we leaRNed much about teRRoIR SINce we made ouR fIRSt modeRN chaRdoNNay 50 yeaRS aGo?

Heads and tails of NZ Chardonnay

It may be unfashionable, but chardon-nay remains the fine wine world’s

favourite source of dry white and it con-tinues to produce the best white wines in New Zealand. It is also ubiquitous, being found wherever in this country there is wine growing, and so it presents a perfect opportunity to see how New Zealand winemakers are addressing the particular demands of their local condi-tions – are they, in fact, developing a pattern of New Zealand terroirs?

Terroir has become a most fashionable term in the wine business, as important for delivering a message of sophistication in the 21st century as ‘classical’ grape varieties were half way through the 20th. But for most of New Zealand’s winegrow-ing history our vineyards have simply been too young to lay the foundations for a genuine terroir character in our wine. Even in rare situations where vineyards have some age on them, there has been a limited winemaking experience to forge some sort of association between wine-making practice, climate and soil.

Now, 50 years after Chardonnay was first made seriously in this country, grill has taken a look at the terroir issue in a specific selection of Chardonnay wines from opposite ends of the country. From Northland, including Auckland, there is

a long history of growing chardonnay that dates back to early Corbans’ experiments in north-west Auckland.

In some pockets, such as at Kumeu, the notion of terroir has what could argu-ably be called its best local expression in the winegrowing and making of Kumeu River. Here, under Michael Brajkovich, a history of Chardonnay has emerged that is as closely linked to individual vineyards as any in the country, with the added ad-vantage of indigenous yeasts that deliver a most unique local expression to the wines.

On the other hand, Central Otago, while it has a history of winegrowing as old as any region in the country, with the exception of Northland, does not yet have the time bank of experience that the Brajkovich’s offer. What it does have, however, is the experience of working with chardonnay in an entirely different climate and with soils unlike anything found in the North. So what Central offers is the length of experience of the quality Chardonnay making community, applied to its most recent winegrowing region. This of itself makes a comparison between wines from the two regions a worthy experiment.

It also offers a contrast in those physi-cal parameters of terroir – soil, geography and climate. In Central the soils are

mostly sub-alpine, with high rock content that is often schistose in origin, from some of the oldest weather soil material in the country. Wind-blown soils (loess) is also a feature, as it is throughout the South Island, while in the North there is an abundance of uplifted sedimentary soils, recently submarine, with clays of both sedimentary and volcanic origin through-out the region.

Climatically the two regions represent extremes of New Zealand’s winegrowing experience. Northland/Auckland is often termed sub-tropical, as a simple way of explaining the high humidity and late season heavy rains, rather than its unusually high tem-peratures. Northland rarely sees growing season temperatures above 35°Celsius, or below 12°Celsius, with moderate day length, regular winds and the moderating influence of the sea. In short, a warm-temperate maritime climate, similar to that of Bordeaux.

Otago, on the other hand, is as con-tinental as any climate in New Zealand gets, with hot dry summers accentuated by long daylight time in mid-summer, becoming markedly shorter as the season progresses. Where warmth is virtually universal in the North, in Otago site selection considering aspect, slope and al-

the tasting panel from left to right:

keith Stewart, danny Schuster,

ben dugdale.

www.GRIll.co.Nz

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titude is a critical factor in ripening all fine wine varieties. Similarly the North is not in need of any assisted watering, while ir-rigation is common in the far South, while conversely fungal spraying is an essential activity in the humid North.

Given these two extremes, grill asked two experienced winegrowers from both regions to consider a selected group of Chardonnays, all with the reputation for being amongst the best in their respective homes. From the South, Danny Schus-ter provided his experience of growing in Canterbury, as well as his long-term involvement of developing winegrowing and winemaking techniques suited to South Island viniculture.

From the Far North, although liv-ing closer to Auckland and operating as a consultant in the Matakana district, Ben Dugdale has been making wine at Karikari Estate, the northernmost vineyard in the country since it began producing wine. This is effectively a Pacific Island vineyard, located as it is on a peninsula that juts out into the ocean north of Kaitaia.

Overall both judges felt that there was ample evidence of terroir influence on the top wines, in particular those of Felton Road and Kumeu River. The Central Otago style was in general more

minerally, focused and crisp, with some wines overplaying their use of oak to the detriment of the wines. Auckland and Northland wines were fatter, richer and more overt in style, sometimes more coarse. They carried oak with more flair and with greater ease. Karikari Estate was something of an exception (see notes) as big as its fellow Northern wines, but with surprising mineral edge to it.

Classic Otago Chardonnay: Linear, lifted aromas, a tendency to thinness, good minerality and apple and citrus fruit notes.

Classic Northland/Auckland: A broader range of styles, but primarily big, ripe fruit wines with enthusiasm and abid-ing generosity. Soft rather than firm.

THE INDIVIDUAL WINES

THE OUTSTANDING WINES

KUMEU RIVER 2008 HUNTING HILL CHARDONNAY KumeuPerfumed nose with a lean manner. A bright, focused wine with fine texture and hints of lime and minerality. Very balanced, dry finish. A very elegant wine. Excellent balance of complex flavours, well distributed throughout.

KUMEU RIVER 2009 MATE’S VINEYARDKumeuBright wine with immediate vin-osity, focused and well integrated. Complex nose precedes some fine lees characters on the palate which delivers texture as well as flavour. Classically structured,fine and linear, with lovely bal-ance,crisp nature and fine minerality.

FELTON ROAD 2009 BANNOCKBURN CHARDONNAY BannockburnAn elegant, focused style with a perfumed nose and marmalade notes on the palate. Complex with lees and a fine long finish balanc-ing the fresh acidity. Delicate and fine to the end.

FELTON ROAD 2009 ELMS CHARDONNAYBannockburnConcentrated, lifted bouquet with a dash of mellow oak. Delicate floral characters on the palate with greater minerality than its stablemate. Very long, delicate finish with good flavour density.

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Auntie Hine - robust, full bodied and both barrels in your face.

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ALSO IMPRESSIVE

KUMEU RIVER 2008 ESTATE CHARDONNAY KumeuSlightly curious bouquet suggests old books, but finely balanced with positive fruit and nice lees complexity with lay-ers of flavour. Very together wine.

KARIKARI ESTATE 2009 WILD FERMENT CHARDONNAY Muriwhenua, NorthlandBright, complex nose with ripe stonefruit characters. Lees fla-vours and texture complement the well integrated oak and broad flavours. Big wine with a

mineral tone, well balanced and bold.

ROCKBURN 2008 CHARDONNAY Central OtagoApple and citrus nose is fine and focused with nice aromas. Delicate palate with lees and mineral flavours and a trace of green fruit. Fine finish.

www.rockburn.co.nz.

MT DIFFICULTY 2008 CHARDONNAYCENTRAL OTAGOLight but firm from its citrus touched nose to its final, min-eral and clay-like finish. Has a distinct earthy character, good complexity and precise bal-

ance. Good wine craft on display here. www.mtdifficulty.co.nz.

MICHELLE RICHARDSON 2008 CHARDONNAY Central OtagoElegant, more generic New Zealand style than the rest of the Central wines. Lovely balance and fine winecraft on

display. Has a sense of being made-not-nurtured. Expensive oak and delightful fruit. In need of some bottle age yet.

OTHERS TASTED

MANGAWHAI RIVER 2009 FIELD OF GRACE CHARDONNAYMatakanaDeveloped, robust wine with tropical fruit notes and plenty of oak. Generous, full bodied wine with modest acidity and a soft finish. Quite oxidative.

OLSSENS 2009 CHARCOAL JOE CHARDONNAY BannockburnHints of asparagus on the nose with suppressed aromat-ics. Phenolics on the pal-ate add to a sense of being

disjointed. A winemaker’s wine rather than an expression of place.

CARRICK 2008 CHARDONNAY Central OtagoReduced nose. Lees and lemon characters on the nose with elements of yeast as well. Pleasant wine.

WESTBROOK 2008 WAIMAUKU CHARDONNAYWaimauku, North West Auckland A characteristic style, enthusiastic wine with ample malo-lactic and oak influ-ence. Full from bouquet to finish, with lees age complexity and good intensity. A touch coarse at the finish.

STONYRIDGE 2008 ONETANGI CHARDONNAY Waiheke IslandFull blown, both barrels style. Toasty with some lees complexity. Robust and full bodied, slightly over the top style.

MAKING CHANGESChard Farm made an assault on New Zealand’s Chardonnay heights with Judge and Jury Chardonnay, a wine that in its early days was given lavish oak treatment and all the wine craft typical of Chardonnay at the time.

While it attracted plenty of at-tention, Judge and Jury never quite made it to the elevated status of other Chardonnays grown further north, and Chard Farm’s winemak-ing team began moderating their oak inputs and working towards a style that was more about Central Otago than about grabbing every possible ingredient for the recipe.

Subsequently, wine critic Mi-chael Cooper has commented of the wine that it ... “shows a Chablis-like elegance and tightness in some vintages, and is fleshy and generous in others”. A bit like being from both the far North and the far South.

But in recent years the standard for Chard Farm Chardonnay has been set more and more by its Closeburn Chardonnay, which, while it lacks the emphatic character of Judge and Jury, has more of the classic minerality and firm, crisp demeanour that the judges found to be typical of Central Otago.

Keith Stewart had a look at this wine from the currently avail-able vintage, which is proving very popular amongst Sydney’s classier restaurants, and made the following observations.

CHARD FARM 2008 CLOSEBURN CHARDONNAYPretty, pale yellow wine has an immediate mineral cut on the nose with a sense of earth and rock as well. Very inviting, firm with just

a waft of lime flowers somewhere. It tastes firm but supple, with fluid rock notes and a keen edge of acidity. Dry and bright all the way to the finish, this is a delightful marriage of moun-tains and sunshine. Gold, even.

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the vineyard, Ransom wines - matakana.

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