Tag: marlborough

Kevin Judd from the Greywacke winery in Marlborough, New Zealand, may not sound familiar to many readers, but Kevin is one of the pioneer winemakers in Marlborough.  He was born in England and raised in Australia where he studied winemaking. In 1983 he moved to New Zealand and was the founding winemaker at Cloudy Bay, which all New Zealand wine…

Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand and British Columbia have a similar history with the growth in quality Vitis Vinifera wine production.  I will concentrate on the Marlborough region of New Zealand and the Okanagan Valley primarily plus the Similkameen for BC for this post. Vitis Vinifera grapes were first planted experimentally in the mid-1970s in BC…

Whitehaven Block 11 Barrel Fermented Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 (NZ $32) How excellent that the team at Whitehaven have chosen to launch their new Single Vineyard series with the release of a shiny new barrel-fermented sauvignon blanc. Fruit from their Paul’s Road vineyard has been wild fermented and aged for 13 months in old French Oak puncheons before being bottled…

The Sauvignon Blanc grape traces its lineage to the historic vineyards of France’s Loire Valley, where it gained early recognition for its distinct aromatic profile and vibrant acidity. It is also one of two grapes, along with Semillon, which makes white Bordeaux blends. However, it was the New World wine regions that truly propelled Sauvignon Blanc to worldwide fame, reimagining…

Greywacke Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021, New Zealand Choosing fruit grown across a smorgasbord of great sites in Marlborough’s Wairau and Southern Valley’s, this nighttime-harvested sauvignon was crafted in individual vineyard batches that were left on their yeast lees for 3months before the final blend was created then it was bottled in mid-August. This has added a creamy complexity to the…

Astrolabe Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018 Astrolabe’s owner and winemaker Simon Waghorn once had the ambition to be a seaweed scientist. I know. Just think, if he’d pursued a life aquatic, we’d never have pinot noir like this. It’s ok, I’ll give you a second to compose yourself. This 2018 vintage shows exotic aromatics, ripe cherry, wild strawberry and boatloads of…

Jules Taylor Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022, New Zealand Whipcrack clean and precise, this sauvignon blanc from one of Marlborough’s most exciting producers is overflowing with herbaceous intensity, lime-licked layers, bruised basil and smoked passionfruit. Utilising fruit grown in the Taylor Pass, Lower Wairau Valley, Hawkesbury and Awatere sub-regions, it has a personality all of its own and sets itself apart….

Winemaking has been around for hundreds of years.  We are very familiar with wines coming from Europe, in particular France, where we talk about Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne.  We typically call Europe the “Old World” wine region, while wines made from the southern hemisphere, are known as the “New World“, plus North America.  But where did the grapes come from…

One last suggestion for Valentine’s Day are these two Pinots from Marisco Vineyards from Marlborough, New Zealand: The Ned Pinot Noir 2019 and The Ned Rosé 2020. The Pinot Noir is a bit bigger than BC Pinots or from Burgundy, but it is very seductive. Reminds me more of a Pinot Noir from Oregon. That seduction may be what you…

Giesen Uncharted Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 (NZ $27) This is one of those wines I keep buying and re-tasting and over the last year it’s just getting more and more delicious. Ultra-friendly, juicy and chock full of cherry and hedgerow berries. Sweetly spiced and softly smoky, it’s edged with cocoa and clove and finishes ripe and plump on the palate….