New Zealand adventure, day 3, Waipara and North Canterbury
Day 3 in New Zealand, and my last day in Waipara/North Canterbury. It turned out to be an excellent one. I started off with a walk along the hills behind the vineyards, passing through Mountford Estate (whose wines I’ve admired in the past, but which I haven’t seen around of late) and ending up at Muddy Water. It’s a nice track and next time I’d like to spend a couple of hours wandering along it.
First appointment was Georges Road, a charming 8 hectare vineyard from which owner Kirk Bray is making some really interesting wines, and unusually for Waipara he’s focused on Syrah and Pinot Gris (as well as a range of other varieties).
Farming is considered, the terroir is really good (this is gravels country), and it was a lovely visit.
Then, off to Greystone, whose wines I have been following for a few years. Dom Maxwell pioneered the concept of vineyard fermentation, where fermenters are left in the vineyard until fermentation is complete. Initially, the grapes were processed in the winery and then taken back out to the winery, but since Dom managed to find a destemmer that doesn’t need three-phase power he’s able to do everything in the vineyard. The Greystone wines are all worthy of attention, and they hit the real heights with the vineyard ferment Pinot and Syrah (new), and then the top tier Thomas Brothers Pinot and Erin Chardonnay from special limestone-rich hillside sites. The restaurant is also exceptional.
But the real highlight was seeing the regenerative Block 7 with Liam and Dom, where they have raised the fruiting wire high enough to run sheep through all year round. More on this later!
After Greystone, it was great to head to Waikari to visit Pyramid Valley once again (I was there in 2007 and 2017). Mike Weersing, who established the vineyard with his wife Claudia, has now left us and it is part of the Smith and Sheth portfolio. Huw Kinch is running things, and in 2018 they made some more plantings, taking the vineyard area from just over two hectares (in four distinctive blocks) to almost eight.
It has been done very thoughtfully, and the wines from this special site are now better than ever. I have no idea about how much it costs to produce a ton of grapes here, but with all the work that’s involved with these close planted, low-trellised vines in a marginal site, I imagine it’s quite a bit. The 2024s are looking spot on.
The final visit was also quite special. I caught up with Ed Donaldson at Pegasus Bay, somewhere I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the past. Matt Donaldson left during the 2024 vintage, but there’s a well-established winemaking team here, and there’s no reason to think that the wines will change significantly. Tasting through the latest releases, I was really taken by all of them. There’s a whole-bunch skin-fermented Sauvignon (with 10% Semillon) that’s really intriguing. Riesling is a major focus, and 2023 and 2024 Bel Canto are superb. Maestro is such a good wine, and Virtuoso Chardonnay and Prima Donna Pinot Noir are fantastic.
The day finished with a really nice gathering of good folk at Kumiko’s, hosted by Sue and Paul, with good energy and some lovely wines. Full write ups of all the visits coming soon!
