Dawn of a new era…
Neal and Judy Ibbotsen began growing grapes in Marlborough in 1978 and started making wine under their Saint Clair label in 1994. Since then they’ve clocked up hundreds of awards and earned an enviable international reputation for crafting quality wines from Marlborough and more recently, Hawke’s Bay. Yet something had always eluded Neal. Saint Clair had never crafted a traditional sparkling wine. The perfect opportunity presented itself however, as his mother Dawn, a fiercely independent Gore-born gardener, great grandmother, public speaker, campaigner, lover of large earrings, fundraiser, avid texter and cricket and rugby fan, drew close to her 100th birthday. She’d turn 100 on December 12 2014, and it would take a fair degree of planning in order to be able to unveil this brand new wine in time for the celebrations which were jacked up to be held at the Dunedin Cricket Club that year. In 2012, chardonnay and pinot noir fruit was harvested, crushed, fermented, blended and put aside for a couple of years, ready for the corks to be popped when she hit that milestone. “I really enjoyed the entire process, from hand picking the grapes to seeing the final product,” says winemaker Stewart McLennan. “As this was our first time creating a methode traditionnelle, there was a certain amount of apprehension but that also made it exciting. It was four years in the making so at times it was difficult to be patient but it was worth the wait. We are incredibly proud of the end result.”
Today, the wine, (dubbed ‘Dawn’) has been released to the public after a whopping 35 months on its yeast lees. Neal’s a happy chap, he’s got his bubbles and Dawn herself is due to turn 102 this year. She still lives in her own house and loves a daily glass of wine – how excellent is that.
Mills Reef Elspeth Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay2014 $39.95 ★★★★
Tim Preston and his team at Mills Reef have done a cracker of a job with this wine. I love the aromas of grapefruit pith, vanilla, peach and pineapple. All those elements also flood across the palate alongside a layer of buttery, creamy complexity. Plus there’s a lovely cleansing character on the finish which makes it darn delicious and capable of great things with another year or three in the cellar.
Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014 $25 ★★★★½
Loveblock is a small organic vineyard project housed at the end of Ugbrooke Road in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley that has been all-consuming for Kim and Erica Crawford for the last few years. A radical departure from commercial sauvignon, this has sweet lemongrass, basil and riverbank flowers on the nose followed by a juicy, multi-layered palate of white pepper, passionfruit sorbet, fennel and feijoa. Succulent and saucy and sensational with creamy, chunky seafood chowder.
Ca’ Di Rajo Marino 2010 $46 ★★★★½
Italian cabernet sauvignon can be intensely fruity and this example from Ca’ di Rajo, grown on the banks of the river Piave is exactly that. I love the dark plum and boysenberry characters which merge with tobacco leaf, vanilla, pepper and violets. Nicely structured tannins elongate the savoury flavours and combine to create a stunning red that will fast become a favourite I’m sure. Enjoy with slow-cooked pork belly with black vinegar dressing. For stockists email Vicky@macvine.co.nz
Terra Sancta Riverblock Bannockburn Chardonnay 2014 $29 ★★★★
On the nose this is EXACTLY my kind of chardonnay. Complete with a twang of ripe nectarine, buttered crumpet and fresh-cut grapefruit, (all of which soak through onto the palate) it’s a ripper of a wine. Solid citrus, juicy, tropical tones and layers of clean, toasty complexity, it demands to be tasted the next time you’re given a fresh crayfish by your neighbour with the boat. Bastard.
Banfi Principessa Gavia Gavi 2014 $30 ★★★★
Grown at the Principessa Gavia vineyard in the region of Novi Ligure in the lower Piedmont, this snappy, zesty white crafted from 100% cortese di gavi grapes, has gorgeous sweet, poached quince characters on the nose and ripe pear, nashi and zesty spicy florals in the mouth. Incredibly complex and characterful, it’s a wine with real verve and vavoom and it rocks with caramelised onion, roast beetroot and feta tartlets…
For stockists visit www.federalmerchants.co.nz
