Lyrical Love
“The thing about a challenging vintage” says James Millton of Gisborne’s Millton Vineyards, “is that regardless of weather, if the whole team picking grapes are happy and good and well organised and industrious then the whole thing just works like a hand in a glove”. He was talking about the ‘tricky’ harvest the region had had this past autumn. But he was happy with how they’d fared. I was visiting James and his wife Annie recently to taste their new releases around the family dining table. Their house is next to the winery and cellar door, everything is right on their doorstep. Daughter Monique, her husband and new baby were visiting, taking a well-earned break from their own, tiny-but-busy, organic winery in the Adelaide Hills, and as they buzzed about, sorting lunch in the kitchen, the atmosphere oozed love, chatter and calm.
Millton is famous for his mellifluous wine descriptors. “If the wine from this vineyard is a stiletto, that wine is a slipper”. “It’s cosy and relaxed, walking on a crunchy shingle pathway, through a flower garden on a summers’ afternoon”. “It smells like an old petanque pit on a rainy day”. While some people shake their heads at this sort of thing, preferring to just be told whether their wine is ‘good’ or ‘bad’, I absolutely love it when people go beyond the “it’s fruity” realm. Emotions are conjured, the blood begins to flow, the saliva glands start to saturate and all I want to do is taste those words.
Celebrate and Sip in the Snow
Lovers of shoes, food and fizz will be falling all over themselves to get to this year’s glamourous Clicquot in the Snow celebration. Returning to Queenstown this August for its seventh year, the 2017 programme will deliver four days of Clicquot-inspired activities including a four-course degustation lunch at Rata prepared by Josh Emett, Après Ski Clicquot style on Coronet Peak, a New Zealand first with the highest Croquet match in the Southern Hemisphere, the exclusive launch of Kathryn Wilson’s spring/summer17 collection and (of course) a fabulous, fizz-o-licious Clicquot closing party. For info and bookings visit www.clicquotinthesnow.co.nz
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Crazy By Nature Cosmo Red 2015 $26 (3.5 star)
Grown biodynamically by James Millton in Gisborne, this ‘field blend’ of Malbec, Syrah and a splash of Viognier is produced using special herbal, mineral and animal preparations and looking to the laws of nature. No herbicide, insecticide, systemic fungicide or soluble fertilizer was used, also no cultured yeasts or bacteria came within coo-ee of the grape juice. Aged in American oak barrels for 11 months, this vegan-friendly red oozes dried herb, cocoa, red rose and peppery, meaty complexity. A squeak of leathery, minty earthiness elongates the finish.
www.millton.co.nz
Brightwater Lord Rutherford Barrique Fermented Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $30 (4 star)
I’m on a crusade to convert more people over to the barrel fermented side of the sauvignon fence if it’s the last thing I do. Gary and Valley Neale are experts in this field and this eye-poppingly good example is now a firm favourite of mine. Toasty, macadamia, buttered crumpet and roast peach aromatics lead to a deeply concentrated, citrus-forward, frisky sip that really satisfies. www.brightwaterwine.co.nz
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Time to test the boundaries a bit by launching into three brand new sips…
Greenhough Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $20 (4 stars)
Nelson offers all sorts of niceness in a sauvignon blanc style that’s got a personality all of its own. Pretty, punchy and prickled with crushed nettles, bruised lemongrass and fresh passionfruit, this certified organic sauvignon erupts with zesty acidity, some sneaky oak notes and mountains of minerality on the finish.
La Valentina Colline Pescaresi Auha Fiano 2014 $39.50 (4 stars)
Gorgeously golden in the glass and bursting with daisy pollen and marzipan-like aromas, Fiano is an ancient grape that’s experiencing a modern renaissance. I love the light peach, soft almond notes, its bright, vibrant, mineral-driven mouthfeel and white pepper and freshly-baled hay layers on the finish.
It’s an envelope-pusher of a white wine that’ll rock with smoky seafood chowder.
Pa Road Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 $16.99 (3.5 stars)
Here’s a great little introduction into Marlborough pinot noir, crafted by the McDonald family and the talented team at Te Pa Wines. It’s spicy, juicy, loaded with cherry and savoury, hedgerow fruits and has an earthy, slightly suede-like finish. Sip with classic, rosemary and garlic-studded roast lamb.
