New Zealand Wine Tasting - Marlborough - Day 1 (Mar. 2020)

After a fine afternoon of wine tasting on Waiheke Island, I caught a late-morning flight the day after, a Monday, to New Zealand's largest and most famous wine region - Marlborough. Located on the South Island, this was the first of two days of wine tasting in Marlborough.

My first stop of the day was Greywacke, the Marlborough label of one of New Zealand's finest winemakers, the legendary Kevin Judd. I was first introduced to Greywacke back in 2016 and have been enamoured with Kevin's wines ever since. And when I landed at Marlborough Airport (BHE) just west of Blenheim, I was excited to have Kevin personally come and pick me up from the airport. We headed straight to the winery - where they had just recently move to - on Kennedys Road in the Omaka Valley, and I met his wife, Kimberley, and the rest of the team for a lovely, home-cooked lunch.

After lunch, Kevin and I headed over to the building next door and he took me through his amazing portfolio of wines, including a few back vintages. Kevin was born in England and grew up and studied winemaking in Australia. He moved to New Zealand in 1983 and built his reputation as one of Marlborough's pioneer winemakers at Cloudy Bay, where he was the founding winemaker. But, after 25 years at Cloudy Bay, he decided to fulfill a long-held dream to have his own winery and in 2009 established Greywacke (pronounced: grey-wacky) with his wife Kimberley. He registered the name back in 1993, while with Cloudy Bay, thinking that one day he might use it for his own label. The name "Greywacke" comes from the high prevalence of rounded greywacke river stones that are found in their first Marlborough vineyard located in Rapaura, a short drive northeast of where the winery is located now. These stones, like other stones found in other vineyards throughout the wine world, have an impact on the vines and the grapes that grow from them. Seeing the greywacke stone on this trip was on my wish list, and mission was accomplished as Kevin had one on the table where we tasted the wines.

The high quality wines at Greywacke are made from mature vineyards within the central Wairau Plains and the Southern Valleys. Much of the fruit is sourced from vineyards owned by the Sutherland family (a friend dating back to their days at Cloudy Bay and now part-owners of Dog Point), while additional fruit comes from select sites within these sub-regions. The Greywacke portfolio is primarily focused on Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, but there are also limited releases of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. There are also a couple of botrytis-affected wines. I was surprised to learn that a portion of every wine throughout the Greywacke portfolio undergoes wild fermentation. Most notable are the Wild Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, both of which were 100% wild fermented. As I learned during my visit to Marlborough, many wineries are using this natural fermentation technique.

All of the wines I tasted from Greywacke were just lovely. Some of these wines do make an appearance in LCBO VINTAGES, while the rest can be ordered through their agent, Connexion Oenophilia. Wine reviews of a few of my favourites are provided below.

In addition to producing fine wines, I didn't realize that Kevin is also very passionate about and excels in photography. All of the pictures on Greywacke's labels were photographed by Kevin. He also has a few books that showcase some of his works, including The Landscape of New Zealand Wine. To view Kevin's books and prints, visit Kevin Judd Photography.

My second stop of the day was a short drive north to Dog Point Vineyard. Ivan and Margaret Sutherland of the aforementioned Sutherland family were among the earliest Marlborough wine industry pioneers - planting grapes in the region in the late 1970s. Ivan, along with Kevin Judd, helped build Cloudy Bay, and they were eventually joined by James Healy. However, in 2004, Ivan & Margaret, along with James & (wife) Wendy wanted to return to a more 'hands-on' approach and launched Dog Point with fruit from the 2002 vintage.

The name 'Dog Point' dates back to the earliest European settlement in Marlborough, when boundary dogs were used to fence in the herds of sheep. Some of these dogs wandered off and formed their own packs, eventually coming back to attack the sheep. Over time, the settlers removed these wild dogs from the area and named it Dog Point.

Today, the four founders of Dog Point are still actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the winery. Dog Point owns some of the oldest vineyards in Marlborough with vines that are 30+ years old. All of the grapes are grown in organic vineyards certified under BioGro New Zealand and hand-picked. The entire Dog Point portfolio consists of just four wines - enabling them to focus on creating high-quality wines of great character. All of the wines are vinified in a low interventionist method, without any fining and minimal filtration, with the goal of producing wines that can be cellared and aged.

At Dog Point, I met up with Jak Nash who gave me a quick tour of the property in the DP classic car that you see on their website. We stopped at a few different points, including a hill that had clay soils and was known for producing the high quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that goes into their own wines. Overlooking the hill was a gorgeous view of the Southern Valleys vineyards, some of which are their own. The extraordinary 2020 harvest looks to be yet another very special vintage.

I tasted all four of their current releases - which are all vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free - and each wine is fantastic! Wine reviews of my top three are provided below. While one or two wines from the Dog Point portfolio may come to LCBO VINTAGES, you can also reach out to their agent Noble Estates Wine & Spirits to order the full lineup of Dog Point wines.

The final stop of the day was a short drive north to Whitehaven Wines, located at the northern edge of the Wairau Valley and bordering the Wairau River. General Manager Simon Toneycliffe gave me a brief tour of the estate vineyards, some which are approaching 30 years old before we headed into the winery to learn about Whitehaven and taste a few wines.

Whitehaven Wines was one of Marlborough's pioneering wine businesses when it was established in 1994 by Greg and Sue White after sheltering in a yacht in the Marlborough Sounds during the Pacific hurricane season and thought the area would be a nice place to start a new project. The winery is named Whitehaven for the importance of family and the calming port 'haven' they'd found while anchored in Marlborough - hence the anchor in the logo. Today, Whitehaven is led by Sue White, continuing the dream she shared with her late husband Greg, while their daughter Samantha will steer the company into the future.

To make the wines, the fruit comes from around 45 estate owned or managed vineyards, or from contract grower vineyards across Marlborough's three sub-regions - Wairau, Awatere. and Southern Valleys. This practice is quite common in the wine world, but I learned is especially common in New Zealand. What I found surprising is the sheer number of vineyards where the fruit can come from. For example, Whitehaven's White Label Sauvignon Blanc comes from these 45 vineyards across the Awatere, Wairau, and Southern Valleys, with grapes from each vineyard vinified separately prior to creating the final blend. Many of their contract growers have been part of the Whitehaven 'family' for a long time. In total, Whitehaven has access to more than 200 hectares of vines, and all of the vineyards (including grower vineyards) are Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) accredited. In 2019, Whitehaven became a member of Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) - assuring, among other criteria, that they only use Marlborough fruit for their Sauvignon Blanc wines.

After tasting the wines with winemakers Diana Katardzhieva and Rowan Langdon, we toured the production facility that was recently renovated with further improvements and expansion coming soon. I also had the opportunity to go up the catwalk and get a gorgeous view of the Wairau Valley. It was quite windy on this day, but perfectly suitable for winegrowing as the wind helps cool the grapes. Upon completion of the tour, I enjoyed a fine BBQ dinner at Diana's home and accompanied with many Whitehaven wines, including some back vintages. Rowan also joined us and I thank both of you and your partners for a wonderful evening and hospitality!

Whitehaven wines are available at the LCBO (including VINTAGES), with wines from the rest of their portfolio available through their agent - E. & J. Gallo Winery Canada.

Tasting Notes:

GREYWACKE WILD SAUVIGNON 2017 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#282806) (XD) - $39
From clay soils. Wild fermented with two-thirds undergoing full malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, and spending 8 months on the lees. This Sauvignon Blanc has a fresh, oak influenced, and balanced nose of orchard fruit, stone fruit, and hints of citrus with yeasty, leesy, and herbal characters adding further complexities. It's medium-full bodied and quite fleshy on the palate with lovely spicy replays plus citrusy and lemon flavours, all supported by fresh, lively acids. A textural wonder with ripe fruits, subtle oak, and excellent length on the finish. Score: 93 pts

GREYWACKE CHARDONNAY 2016 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (XD) - $45
2 clones of Chardonnay from 4 vineyards. Pressed straight to barrel and underwent natural indigenous yeast fermentation, followed by malolactic fermentation in French oak barriques (20% new). This Chardonnay has a rich, highly aromatic, oak influenced nose that is smoky with buttered popcorn, and baked apple, pear, and stone fruit aromas. It's full-bodied on the rich, creamy palate with very nice smoky-flinty replays and apple flavours. It has fresh, succulent acids to go along with a tight structure and very good length on flinty, orchard fruit finish. Score: 93 pts

GREYWACKE PINOT NOIR 2017 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#402651) (XD) - $46
Made with Dijon clones from vineyards in the Southern Valleys, this Pinot Noir has a fresh, open, fragrant, and complex nose of raspberry and black cherry mingling with earthy, forest floor, beetroot, clove, strawberry, and cherry notes, along with hints of floral. It's light-to-medium bodied with lovely aroma replays on the pretty palate with some tannins on the back-palate. Acids are balanced. Earthy, beetroot, spice, and black cherry notes linger on the long finish. Score: 92 pts

DOG POINT SECTION 94 SAUVIGNON BLANC 2013 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#325977) (XD) - $44.95
A single vineyard parcel grown on silt/clay loam soils that was wild fermented and aged for 18 months in older French oak barrels, this has a highly aromatic and reductive nose layered over citrus, melon, and subtle smoky oak aromas. It's medium-full bodied with lively acids that brighten that palate. Lovely flavours of spice, citrus, melon, and passion fruit notes with touches of herbal characters. Palate quenching with excellent length on the finish. Score: 92 pts

DOG POINT CHARDONNAY 2017 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#238568) (XD) - $45
From the oldest vines in Marlborough which were planted in 1981 and a clonal combination of 70% Mendoza and 30% Clone 95. Wild fermented in barrels. It has a fairly intense nose that is reductive in style with smoky, flinty, buttered popcorn, golden apple, peach, stone fruit aromas that are very clean and offer purity of fruit. The medium-full bodied palate is spiced with golden apple, peach, and citrus flavours that flow through the juicy, succulent mid-palate. Nice replays. Excellent length on the long, juicy finish. Score: 93 pts

DOG POINT PINOT NOIR 2017 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#329672) (XD) - $50
Mostly Dijon clones from vines planted in 1983 (the oldest in Marlborough), wild fermented (15% whole bunch) and matured in French oak barrels (35% new) for 18 months. The medium-high to highly aromatic nose is clean, elegant, and perfumed with lovely black cherry, dried tea leaf, dark cherry, earthy, cherry, beetroot, and anise aromas. It's medium+ bodied, elegant, and quite concentrated with pleasing black cherry, mulberry, and cassis flavours with subtle oak spice notes. Nicely balanced throughout with clean acids and fine tannins. Lovely earthy, forest floor, and black cherry notes linger on the long finish, with excellent length. Score: 92 pts

WHITEHAVEN GREG SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - Awatere Valley, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#325944) (XD) - $23.95
Fresh, elegant aromatics are clean and ripe with melon, citrus, wet rock minerality, and grapefruit notes. It's medium+ bodied on the fresh, broad palate with nicely ripe melon replays, followed by some mineral, gooseberry, and nettle flavours. It's got fresh acids and a long, crisp, and lightly spiced finish. Score: 91 pts

WHITEHAVEN PINOT GRIS 2018 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#447516) (XD) - $19.95
From estate grown fruit, the fresh, medium+ intensity aromatics offer stone fruits, melon, pear, honeysuckle, and floral characters with a touch of cotton candy. The medium-full bodied has a kiss of sweetness with spiced melon, quince, and pear flavours and a touch of herb. With 5 months of lees contact, it is nicely textured with very good acidity, while the finish is long and palate quenching. Score: 89 pts

WHITEHAVEN PINOT NOIR 2016 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#532929) (XD) - $26.95
A 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir from the Awatere and Southern Valleys, this has a medium-high intensity nose that is clean with red and black fruits, black cherry, raspberry, plum, dark berry, and spice, along with some earthy tones and hints of tea leaf. The medium-full bodied palate is structured and quite concentrated with nice red and black fruit replays. Raspberry, tomato leaf, and whiffs of tea leaf and mineral also appear on the flavour profile. Acids are still quite juicy, while the finish length is very good. Score: 90 pts