Vineyards with a view

A fleeting visit to Waiheke, courtesy of Man O’War Vineyards, confirmed my suspicion that Waiheke Island is heading for a helluva vintage, God and weather willing. I managed to get some great shots from the company helicopter before we landed to taste and inspect grapes. They’re clean as a whistle with great flavours and high sugars (as at 24th February). The first grapes (Chardonnay) will be picked on Monday 1st March. I predict great wines will result.

Here’s a shot of their Pinot Gris vineyard on Ponui Island which the vineyard workers have christened “Rippon rip-off” because the views are spectacular and the small island offshore mimics the much photographed island in Lake Wanaka below Rippon Vineyard’s vines.

Rippon rip-off

I also managed to taste a selection of currently released wines and was impressed by most. The highlight was an absolutely stunning Dreadnought 2008 Syrah $45.99 from the vineyard depicted below.

Dreadnought Syrah vineyard (I think)

Here are a few excerpts from my tasting notes:

Man O’War 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Waiheke Island $22.99

Intense, weighty wine with ripe fig, melon and yeast lees flavours. 5 g/l RS but balanced by crisp acidity to give a drying finish. Very different to Marlborough but not a long way off Bordeaux Blanc Sec. Score: 87 points

Man O’War 2009 Pinot Gris, Ponui Island $22.99

Full-flavoured, fleshy wine with pear, melon and stone fruit flavours. A medium/dry style with 8 g/l RS. Fine, drying, glycerol-coated tannins. Score: 85 points

Man O’War 2008 Chardonnay, Waiheke Island $27.99

Intense citrus/grapefruit, nutty lees and chalky mineral flavours – very attractive. Elegant Chardonnay. Good Value. Score: 85 points

Valhalla 2008 Chardonnay, Waiheke Island $39.99

Flagship wine that justifies its exalted status. Big, rich and creamy Chardonnay with masses of mineral, citrus, toasted nut, bran biscuit and spicy oak flavour. Power-plus. Score: 93 points

Man O’War 2009 Rose, Waiheke Island $22.99

Pretty pink wine with plenty of red berry flavours. Made from Merlot , a much better variety for Rose than Pinot Noir, giving good weight and richness. 9 g/l RS but nicely blanced by fresh acidity and fine tannins to give a dry-ish finish. Score: 86 points

Man O’War 2008 Merlot Cabernet Franc Malbec, Waiheke Island $27.99

Vibrant, elegant red with pleasant berry flavours. Lacks enough flesh to mask sappy, drying tannins which produce a fairly austere finish. Needs food. Score: 82 points

Ironclad 2008, Waiheke Island $45.99

Elegance on a grand scale. Fine, tight red with layers of fruit/berry and savoury, spicy flavours. Aromatic wine with a pleasing floral lift. An impressive Bordeaux blend. Score: 93 points

Dreadnought 2008 Syrah, Waiheke Island $45.99

Stunning wine with a heady perfume that includes lovely floral notes. Very elegant red with ripe berryfruit flavours interwoven with Oriental spices. It has a great texture and extraordinary power.Score: 94 points

Stillwater's first vineyard

Visited a brand new winery in the brand new area of Stillwater 30 minutes north of Auckland on the east coast. Paul Syms was sales and marketing director of a large English plastic company until he headed south to pursue his passion for wine. Syms built a house at Stillwater before realising that the neighbouring land offered a perfect vineyard site. Being a man of action he sold his house, bought the land next door, built another house, planted a seven-acre vineyard and built a winery – the last two with a little help from the owner of Providence Vineyard, Jim Vuletic.

Vines were planted in 2005 with the first harvest in 2008 (currently still in barrel). The vineyard is planted equally in Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot. I visited the winery shortly before the arrival of bottling equipment (the first wines will be bottled in a couple of months).

A tasting of barrel samples revealed three impressive varietal wines – ripe flavours, good ripe tannins and nice acidity. Also tasted a test-blend of all three, which I preferred to any of the component wines, good though they are. This is a very serious wine in the making.

Syms plans to charge aound $60-70 a bottle – a fair price if my assessment is anything go by. There are no plans to run a cellar door although visitors will be welcomed if they make an appointment.

Paul and Cathy Syms