Visiting Te Kano, an important producer with vineyards in Central Otago and Waitaki
Website: https://www.tekanoestate.com/
It was in 2018 that I visited Te Kano for the first time. This relatively new producer had just bet big on a site in a subregion called Northburn, where they had just planted 32 hectares of vines, with plans to add 9 more. This overlooks Lake Dunstan, opposite Pisa. I revisited 7 years later to see how it was going.
This is a grand project. ‘We are on a 120 hectare site,’ explained winemaker Dave Sutton, ‘with 40 hectares of vineyard on it.’ There aren’t many vineyards on this side of Lake Dunstan at this end. ‘To the north of us is Cloudy Bay, and then it becomes Bendigo,’ says Dave.
What led them to make such an investment here? ‘The investment was there to be made; the land was available. It was large enough and diverse enough to plant a variety of clones and rootstocks, and varieties. We wanted to have a complete wine project, from whites through to reds. We needed a spectrum of sites within one site.’
Glaciation was important in forming this site. ‘You can see where glaciation has carved out the side of the mountain through successive periods.’
The bedrock is schist, but there are also other influences. ‘We have some tumbled glacial moraine outwash that’s overlaid with wind-blown loess, ground down rock dust that has been blown and sedimented. There are some silt deposits, and there are areas of pedogenic lime.’
‘It is like 17 vineyards stuck together.’
The wind has a profound influence. ‘It is complicating, and at times it is unbearable. It is the defining characteristic of this place.’
The site was planted in 2018 and the first wines came from 2020. So there are a few vintages now. What is the talent of this site? ‘There are a lot of exciting things. It forces you to have a close relationship with your vineyard team and the place. There is no way to broadscale farm in a homogenous way. You need to know every part. It is learning the characteristics of each of the sub-plots.’
Te Kano used ground penetrating radar to map the soil variation, and match variety and rootstock appropriately. Irrigation zones also match these various soil types.
Northburn is the main vineyard for Te Kano, but they also have three others. Two are in Bannockburn. The first is Jerome, which has incredibly sandy soils. The second is Eliza, opposite Mount Difficulty, off Felton Road, which has richer soils. Each of these vineyards are around 5 hectares.
But they are also present in Waitaki. They bought Pasquale, who had stopped producing. This was mainly for the winery (they were about to plan and build one at Northburn). Dave went to look at Pasquale to buy some equipment, and realized that this would be ideal (it was about to be bulldozed). So the Te Kano wines are all made there, and they have 11 hectares of vines.
We began tasting with a vertical of Northburn Chardonnay. This was planted in 2018, with a mix of clones. On the higher glacial terraces 648, Mendoza and 1066. The lower moraine, outwash gravel terraces, they have 95, clone 6 and 121. The single vineyard always comes from the higher glacial terrace. They struggled with getting enough shade on the fruit with the young vines, and the bony soils, which give whispy canopies. They’ve been working on more dappled light and less sun exposure, while still allowing air movement.
Te Kano Northburn Chardonnay 2021 Central Otago, New Zealand
Clone 1066. A cooler season with a significant wind event late in the season that caused some stress. Pressed to barrel with no settling, wild ferment. Linear and bright with taut citrus fruit and some peach and pear richness. There’s a hint of popcorn and toast, with a twist of pineapple and nice focused acidity, but a twist of bitterness too. Real vitality and focus here, offering a lot of flavour but also a sense of precision. 93/100
Te Kano Northburn Chardonnay 2022 Central Otago, New Zealand
Clone 1066. A warmer season, but it was quite wet. This is supple and linear with bright citrus fruit driving things, and then some apricot and pineapple exoticism. Nice freshness with a linear quality and some nice taut acidity in the mix. Very satisfying, tending to elegance. 94/100
Te Kano Northburn Chardonnay 2023 Central Otago, New Zealand
Mendoza from the top terrace and 95 from the alluvial gravels. A nice even season. La Niña year, with more northerly winds. Nice purity and weight here with bold peach, pear and pineapple fruit with some fine spicy notes. Lovely detail with a nice acid line and some spicy minerality, and even a hint of flint. 94/100
Next, a vertical of Estate Pinot Noir. This can vary in terms of it sources. Since 2022 there has always been an element of Waitaki in the blend. When they started working with Waitaki they used less whole bunch. The 2021 has 15% whole bunch, but since then none because Dave wanted to temper the inherent greenness of the Waitaki fruit.
The Felton Road vineyard is now organic. After conversion the vines looked stressed and there was more hardness to the tannin, but now it’s much more in balance. There has been a reduction of yield from 8 tons/ha to 6 tons/ha, but with less need for crop thinning.
Te Kano Estate Pinot Noir 2021 Otago, New Zealand
100% Felton Road fruit, 15% whole bunch. Lovely floral nose with sweet red cherries and plums. There’s a lovely silky quality to the texture with supple cherry fruit. Lots of fruit. This is balanced and very drinkable with lovely purity and a nice twist of green. This is really good. 94/100
Te Kano Estate Pinot Noir 2022 Otago, New Zealand
13% alcohol. The first year with some Waitaki (6%), and a different season as well with a rainfall into the harvest season. 42% Bannockburn and 52% Northburn. There was some whole bunch (13% of the batch was 50% whole bunch). Fresh and sappy with red cherry and redcurrant fruit, showing some crunch and brightness. There’s a touch of redcurrant here, too. 94/100
Te Kano Estate Pinot Noir 2023 Otago, New Zealand
13% alcohol. In 2023 they introduced a premium tier called Landwalker for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, so some of the top lots went into that (but then 25% went back . More Waitaki (close to 15%). This is bright and fruity with some nice floral cherry notes, and also some bright berries and a bit of grippy structure. Nice intensity to this wine. 93/100
Te Kano Landwalker Pinot Noir 2023 Central Otago, New Zealand
This has almost 15% Waitaki, 42% Felton Road (Eliza) and the 43% Northburn. This is textured with some sour cherry and wild strawberry. This has real volume in the mouth but also good structure with a lovely concentration of fruit, with some fine spicy detail and lots of flesh. It’s delicious and plush but also repays some attention. 94/100
Then, a vertical of the Northburn Cabernet Franc. It is just Te Kano and Sato who make Cabernet Franc in Central Otago.
Te Kano Northburn Cabernet Franc 2021 Central Otago, New Zealand
First vintage. No added sulfites. Baked black cherry on the nose, with some savoury notes. The palate is textural and quite firm but has lovely black cherry and blackberry fruit with some gravelly structure. Lots of interest here with some silkiness, and no Cabernet Franc greenness. Lovely weight here. An experimental wine that sold out immediately at $55. 91/100
Te Kano Northburn Cabernet Franc 2022 Central Otago, New Zealand
Some sulfites this year, and no oak. This is bright and red fruited, with some nice green. Nervy and bright with lovely sappy red fruits. Juicy and expressive. Supple and expressive with real finesse. A lighter-style Cabernet Franc. 92/100
Te Kano Northburn Cabernet Franc 2023 Central Otago, New Zealand
Used barrels. Supple and bright with a good concentration of fleshy black cherry fruit with some blackcurrant. Nice weight of fruit with a bit of density and some structure. This is really nicely balanced with flesh and structure. 93/100
Te Kano Blanc de Noirs 2023 Central Otago, New Zealand
13% alcohol. Organic, all from Bannockburn. This is bright, lively and fresh with sweet citrus fruit and a bit of pear and cherry, with nice acidity. Pure and refreshing. Nice texture. 89/100
Te Kano Rosé 2022 Central Otago, New Zealand
This is nicely balanced with a core of strawberry and cherry fruit, rounded and expressive. Has a sweet core of fruit and finishes with fine spicy detail. 89/100
Te Kano Pinot Gris 2023 Central Otago, New Zealand
Lovely aromatics, orange peel, citrus and cherry. This has texture and depth with nice spicy detail and some grapey hints. Very satisfying and expressive. About 50% Waitaki. 92/100
Te Kano Waitaki Chardonnay 2022 Otago, New Zealand
This was the first vintage after dormancy. Clone 95. This has depth and energy with pear and peach and some bright citrus, with real stuffing: some spicy, savoury detail. Nice texture with some richness but also energy with nicely integrated oak. 94/100
Te Kano Northburn Chardonnay 2022 Central Otago, New Zealand
This is fresh and textural with pear and white peach, showing some fruit sweetness, a bit of softness of texture, with lovely purity and weight. There’s a little exoticism here with lovely balance. 94/100
Te Kano Bannockburn Chardonnay 2022 Central Otago, New Zealand
Finely spiced (Mendoza, 2008 plantings). This has freshness and texture with lovely pear and peach fruit with some brightness, and some good acidity. Fresh and expressive with lovely balance and a bit of energy. 93/100
Te Kano Life Chardonnay 2022 Central Otago, New Zealand
Lovely focus and balance here with a fine structure to the pear and citrus fruit with a hint of peachiness. Nice detail on the palate with good acidity. It’s a really beautifully balanced wine. 95/100
Te Kano Northburn Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Central Otago, New Zealand
Mostly barrel fermented, three clones (MS and two Loire clones). Beautiful aromatics with grapefruit and lemon as well as some smokiness. Grapefruit and elderflower on the palate. Very stylish with nice texture and depth. So stylish and multi-dimensional. 94/100
Te Kano Life Pinot Noir 2020 Central Otago, New Zealand
14% alcohol. Lovely cherry and raspberry fruit with a twist of sour cherry on the finish. Lovely balance with a nice savoury twist to the red fruits, with some noticeable structure supporting the sweet fruit. There’s some herb and pot pourri character, finishing crunchy. Lovely. 94/100
Te Kano Waitaki Pinot Noir 2022 Otago, New Zealand
Lovely fresh red cherry nose with some white pepper and floral berry fruits. Some rose petal. The palate has nice texture and some iodine notes, with silky cherry and plum fruit. Amazing elegance here, much more red fruited than black. On the cusp of herbal but still has sweet fruit. 95/100
Te Kano Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2021 Central Otago, New Zealand
Quite a bit of whole bunch here. This is ripe and textured with sweet berry and cherry fruit with fine spicy notes. Supple and expressive, and then finishes with some nice firm tannins. There’s a nice freshness on the finish. 94/100
Te Kano Northburn Pinot Noir 2022 Central Otago, New Zealand
Floral and sweetly fruited with soft strawberry and cherry fruit. Nice balance here with some red cherry on the palate. There’s a fine spicy edge to this wine. Very expressive and with some mid-palate softness, showing elegance. 95/100
Te Kano Riesling 2022 Otago, New Zealand
10% alcohol. Lots of Waitaki and a bit of Northburn. Lively and bright with some sweetness countering the high acidity. Juicy and vibrant with a lovely citrus core. 50 g/l of sugar, pH 2.9. Really balanced and fine. 92/100
