On May 24th, Vintages released a feature of wines from New Zealand. Like Canada, New Zealand is still new to the world of wine. But where Ontario is haphazardly experimenting with every grape variety under the sun, New Zealand hit on their recipe for success early on: Sauvignon Blanc. It’s three quarters of everything they grow.
Sauvignon Blanc (my rough translation from the French is “wild’n’white”) is a vivacious grape that is great for summer sipping. It’s characterized by a racy acidity, a light body, and charming notes of cut grass, herbs and chamomile. I firmly believe in Intelligent Design, because only a Beneficent Creator could have engineered a world where seafood salad is mated with Sauvigonon Blanc from New Zealand. That kind of perfection doesn’t happen by accident, Mr. Darwin.
But can a country sustain its wine industry solely on the back of seafood salad? Apparently not. The Kiwis have started to diversify. Pinot Noir, the elegant and wraith-like red varietal, has become their number two grape, with exports rising by 593 percent in the last five years. New Zealand is trying to establish itself as a world leader for Pinot Noir. Are they succeeding?
Judge for yourself by trying the 2006 “Icon” Pinot Noir from the House of Nobilo ($25.95 [Ed. note: No longer available], Vintages #066803) or the 2006 Lowburn Ferry Pinot Noir ($37.95 [Ed. note: No longer available], Vintages #060061). Both wines come from Central Otago, a region that is leading New Zealand’s charge towards international recognition for its handcrafted Pinot.
A couple weeks ago I attended a Toronto Winetasters Society tasting featuring seven Pinots from the 2006 vintage of Central Otago (including the award-winning Gibbston Highgate Estate). I love Winetasters events like this because sampling so many wines at one time allows you to come away with an impression of the character of the whole region.
There’s a lot of good to be said about Central Otago. The climate and soil are hospitable to Pinot, a grape so hard to grow that it seems imbued with a death wish. If purity is your concern, there is no wine region in the world as pollution free: there isn’t a traffic light within 200 miles of an Otago vineyard.
But when the cork came out at Winetasters, I confess to being disappointed. Partly this was because the wines were still young, the fruit hadn’t fully developed. They all had a bright acidity, but this acid wasn’t balanced against tannins or earthy tones. These are worthy wines if you prefer a mild style of Pinot with subtleties instead of convictions. I found them diluted. The exception was the Carrick Pinot Noir. It had a plush, spicy nose with a hint of coffee and cinnamon. On the palate, it was rich and well-structured.
But I am looking forward to future vintages. Just like in Ontario, Central Otago is learning on the job. And just like Ontario, as their young root-stock ages and digs deeper into the soil, the wine can only improve. Raise a glass to the great Pinot experiment.
Matthew Sullivan is a lawyer with the Department of Justice in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca