North Canterbury, New Zealand (3) Black Estate
I’ve visited Black Estate a few times before, and I’ve always liked the wines. Low-intervention winemaking at its best.
Black Estate was originally founded in 1993, when restaurateur Russell Black planted an 8 hectare Pinot Noir/Chardonnay vineyard in Omihi, with assistance from Danny Schuster. There were 3.8 hectares of Chardonnay and 3.8 hectares of Pinot Noir, all planted on their own roots.
The estate was purchased in 2007 by the current owners, the Naish family, and 2008 was the first vintage of the new regime, with the wines made by Pen Naish and her husband Nicholas Brown, who had been winemaker with Danny Schuster.
The vineyard holdings have since grown to 24 hectares, across three vineyard sites: the original estate, Netherwood and Damsteep.
All vineyards are now formed organically, and winemaking is pretty natural, with just some SO2 additions at bottling. Ferments are with native yeasts only. The winery, tasting room, restaurant and Pen and Nick’s home are all combined in a very stylish long black barn designed by Richard Naish (Pen’s cousin). Constructed of local pine, its modern lines seem to blend in well with the landscape. ‘Now we are in hospo,’ says Pen – the restaurant has really taken off. ‘It’s a lovely way to meet your market.’ All the produce is organic.
The home block is on sedimentary clay soils, typical of Omihi, and Nick and Pen are going to convert part of this to a high trellis so they can run sheep even in the growing season, similar to the development on one of the blocks at Greystone. In 2011 they planted the block on the top, with Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, as well as a couple of hectares of Pinot Noir.
Then there’s the impressive Damsteep vineyard, which is part of the Spye farm that was established in the 1920s. The vineyards here, which are steeply sloped (hence the name), were planted in 1999, and Black Estate have 16 hectares of which 7.5 hectares is vineyard: Riesling and Pinot Noir on Waipara clay. There are some limestone outcrops here, too. They bought fruit from here from 2008 and purchased it in 2012.
The final vineyard is Netherwood, which was planted by Russell Black and Danny Schuster in 1986. This went into receivership in 2009, but is now back into top condition. It’s unirrigated and there are 4.5 hectares of vines on the 10.5 hectare property. They leased this from 2012, and purchased it in 2015.
From 2023 they have been leasing the Sky Punch vineyard which neighbours the home block, and this has 2 hectares of Pinot Gris and 0.5 ha of Viognier.
Black Estate Damsteep Pét Nat 2024 North Canterbury, New Zealand
12% alcohol. Pinot Noir and Riesling, cofermented. Three weeks fermented in a stainless steel tank, bottled at about 20 g residual sugar using a contract bottler, which takes a bit of juggling. All pet nats are riddled and disgorged before release. Pinot Noir blocks where the clay gives fruitiness. Six months on lees. This has lovely complexity with bright cherry and citrus fruit. Bright and energetic, with good acidity and a touch of sweetness on the finish. Very stylish. 91/100 (NZ$45)
Black Estate Home Pét Nat 2023 North Canterbury, New Zealand
100% Chenin Blanc, clone 880 (bigger berries and higher acidity than 220, which is what they use for their still Chenin). 9 months of fermentation lees. Really chiselled with keen citrus fruit and good acidity. Has nice focus with a touch of pear and cherry, finishing fresh and energetic. Quite dry in style. 93/100
Black Estate Netherwood Pét Nat 2023 North Canterbury, New Zealand
From sandstone hillside, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, 22 months on fermentation lees. This has apple and pear as well as some toastiness and a touch of biscuit. Lovely savouriness and depth here with a nice acid line. 92/100
Black Estate Skypunch Pinot Gris 2024 North Canterbury, New Zealand
Second release. The first time they did three picks over 2 weeks, fermented in different ways. They loved the early pick in barrel so they just did this in 2024. They are looking to catch the richness that comes from the clay soils. Hand harvested a bit early, then fermented in used 500 litre barrels. This is really textural with a balance between the grapey richness and the pear and cherry fruit. Lovely intensity with some fine spiciness and even some white pepper, combining freshness with rich texture. 94/100
Black Estate Skypunch Viognier 2023 North Canterbury, New Zealand
First vintage, 15 months on lees and then time in bottle before release. Low yield per vine, made it like Chardonnay. Just two barrels. Next year hope for enough to use puncheons. This is a beautiful expression of Viognier with pear and peach fruit, a touch of apricot, and some focus on the palate. It has flavour but it’s not fat. Beautiful example of Viognier. 94/100
Black Estate Dampsteep Riesling 2023 North Canterbury, New Zealand
13% alcohol. Current release. 100% flattened ovoid stainless steel tank. This is beautifully textured with a fine, grainy structure to the crystalline citrus fruit, with well integrated acidity and there’s a lovely richness here, not from sugar though (it’s dry). Remarkable character and flavour: this is just so good. 95/100
Black Estate Home Chenin Blanc 2023 North Canterbury, New Zealand
They’ve done a trial with half under screwcap, half under cork, and this is a corke sealed bottle. Slowly pressed, settled and then racked to demi muids. Fermentation takes a long time. No added sulfites so they bottle as soon as fermentation finishes. This is quite beautiful. So textured and fine with pear, mandarin and lemon notes, as well as a hint of straw and a touch of creaminess on the palate balancing out the good acidity. Such a beautiful mouthfeel and persistence, with a slight graininess. 95/100
Black Estate Home Chardonnay 2023 North Canterbury, New Zealand
From the vineyard planted in 2011, and sometimes there’s some of the fruit from the bottom of the block. Some years they make a separate bottom block Chardonnay planted in 1994. Hand-picked, 500 litre oak, racked, allowed to settle, then bottle unfined and unfiltered. 10% new oak simply because they were introducing a new barrel. This is beautifully nuanced with some toast and pineapple, as well as some keen citrus fruit. Lively and expressive with a touch of mealiness and a crystalline finish, with some compressed spicy acidity persisting. 94/100
Black Estate Home Bottom Block Chardonnay 2023 North Canterbury, New Zealand
Fermented in 500 litre barrels than after a year, spends 6 months in tank on fine lees. Ungrafted vines planted in 1994 on sedimentary clay with an A horizon of dark organic matter, then fine clay, then seams of calcium carbonate at 1.5 m. 1.5 tons/hectare, which is problematic, and so the Watson trellis that they are converting it to might help with that. This is thrilling. Fine, expressive, precise and pure. There’s compact citrus fruit with nice acidity, and a mineral twist to the fruit. Such and expressive wine of real purity and so many layers of flavour. 96/100
Black Estate Netherwood Chardonnay 2023 North Canterbury, New Zealand
Current vintage is 2020. Sandstone with a high iron content. This is made the same way as the bottom block, with a final 6 months on fine lees. One barrel. Some real aromatic interest here with toast and meal as well as pineapple and peach fruit. The palate has ripe, full pear and pineapple fruit with some lemony detail and a hint of reduction, finishing bright and crystalline. Such a lovely wine with lots of detail and focus, as well as some appealing fruit. 95/100
Black Estate Damsteep Pinot Noir 2023 North Canterbury, New Zealand
Textured, showing sweet raspberry and cherry fruit. Fine grained tannins with nice layers of flavour: some sweet spicy plum notes and also some green hints, as well as a touch of olive. Stylish with nice warmth, and a supple texture, finishing with a hint of pepper. 93/100
