Riesling | Postcards From Here and There

Greystone/Muddy Water

Greystone wines purchased Muddy Water in 2011 when the owners retired. The two sites couldn’t be any more different. Greystone is much bigger at 37 hectares and is on limestone. Muddy Water, on the other hand, is only 12 hectares and is on a clay substrate. The wine making philosophy however is very similar, both estates are certified organic and there is a philosophy of creating the best wines possible from the different terroirs.

Greystone Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Barrel fermented in old French oak. Wild fermentation. A very Loire Valley style of Sauvignon. Gentle gooseberry, nettle and delicate stone fruit. This wine is nicely balanced and has a good finish.

Muddy Water Estate Chardonnay 2015

A very nice lighter style of chardonnay which exhibits some lovely citrus fruit. Quite mineral in character.

Greystone Chardonnay 2016

A richer style of chardonnay with tropical fruit and fully integrated oak giving a nice balance to the wine. A good citrus finish.

Greystone Sand Dollar Pinot Gris 2016

Tropical and stone fruit abound in a wine which has a lovely balance of fruit and acidity. The finish is dry and lingers with subtle tropical fruit.

Greystone Sea Star Riesling 2016

A lovely bone dry style of Riesling with herby notes and apricot stone fruit. The wine has lovely texture and is well balanced. Very nice.

Greystone Riesling 2017

Off dry in style this wine is full of fresh flowers, tropical fruits and limes. There palate is rich but with crisp acidity. A very nice Riesling indeed.

Greystone Gewurtztraminer 2015

Aromas of herbs, flowers and lime make this a very appealing wine. The palate has spicy tropical fruit with a splash of Turkish delight. Another success, very drinkable indeed.

Muddy Water Estate Pinot Noir 2016

Aromas of cherry, red berry fruits and violets. The palate has cherries and red fruits with a subtle earthy element. Tannins have some grip but this is drinking well.

Greystone Pinot Noir 2016

Nose opens out to give dark cherry and vanilla. A more complex offering than the Muddy Water and perhaps with better potential to age. There are savoury notes and a nice red berry finish.

Muddy Water Estate Pinotage 2016

Aromas of black fruits, vanilla and tar. The palate has depth with soft black plummy fruit. it is smokey and savoury and nicely balanced. Very nice and a rare find in New Zealand.

Greystone Basket Star 2013 (167g/l residual sugar)

Gold in appearance. Light, fresh aromas of apricot and orange. Palate has great balance with caramelised oranges and a touch of honey. A wine of great pleasure.

Muddy Water Estate Sugar Daddy Riesling 2016 (108g/l)

Rich and complex with honey, oranges and caramel. It has great depth and richness and is well balanced, it is a wine to savour.

Pegasus Bay

Pegasus Bay is one of North Canterburys more important wine estates. Wine has been made here since the mid nineteen eighties and it is still owned and managed by the Donaldson family.

The estate is well worthy of a visit. There are gardens and a restaurant on site.

Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Semillon 2015

Aromas of citrus, pear, gooseberry with just a hint of honey. Lovely texture on the palate with a delicate freshness. The use of 30% semillon gives body and a touch of character.

Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 2016

Nose of stone fruit/peach, banana,citrus and a striking minerality. Palate is rich and nicely balanced. lemon and tropical fruits with a lovely lingering finish.

Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 2014

Ripe cherries and red fruits abound with an earthy/smokey backbone. The palate is rounded, medium bodied and there is a nice finish of red fruits.

Pegasus Bay Merlot Cabernet 2016

Red/purple in colour and deep. Aromas of black fruits, plum, tobacco. Palate has rich ripe fruit, eucalyptus, chocolate and plum. Tannins give a good supporting structure.

Pegasus Bay Bel Canto Dry Riesling 2015 (7g/l residual sugar)

Lemon/lime in colour. Nose is tropical fruit and limes. Palate has lovely balance and is slightly off dry to taste.

Pegasus Bay Riesling 2015 (24g/l)

Limes and sherbet with stone fruits. Off dry and with perfect balance. This is Avery nice wine indeed.

Pegasus Bay Aria Late Harvest Riesling 2014 (84g/l)

Yellow gold with a touch of lime green in appearance. Aromas of citrus, honey, butterscotch and stone fruits. Full, rich and creamy with great balance. A long finish of honey, orange and lime at the very end.

Pegasus Bay Encore Riesling 2016 (176g/l)

Yellow gold in appearance. The palate is fresher with limes and sweet tropical fruits. The palate has elegance and superb balance with the acidity a perfect foil for the sweet fruit. Rich and opulent with a great finish of oranges and honey,

Pegasus Bay Finale Sauvignon Blanc 2014 (180g/l)

Only made in exceptional years. Golden in appearance. This is an exceptionally unctuous wine with intense flavours of orange marmalade, honey and caramel. A wine to savour and enjoy.

Pegasus Bay Gewurtztraminer 2016

lime green/yellow in appearance. Nose is less floral than some but there is tropical fruit a plenty. Palate is rose water/Turkish delight, spice with tropical fruit and some floral notes.

Pegasus Bay Muscat 2016

Nose of apricot, floral and peaches. Palate has good acidity balancing the rich fruit. This is a very quaffable wine for a summers day.

Pegasus Bay Fortissimo Fortified Muscat 2016

Made for the first time in 2016 and with very small production. Nose is delicate and light with floral perfume and tropical fruits. Palate has lovely texture and great acidity to balance the fruit.

An exceptional tasting of wonderful wines at this iconic property. I can’t wait to visit again. You can visit their website here

You can search for their wines in the uk here

Felton Road

Felton Road is without doubt one of the most important wine producers in New Zealand. Located near the town of Cromwell in Central Otago, and in the Bannockburn district, it consists of 32 hectares of vines in 70 hectares of land. The remaining 38 hectares are farmed but not commercially. The farming supports the ecosystem, producing organic material for composting and winter feed for animals. One hundred and fifty tons of compost are made each year and single vineyard composts are made in order to help maintain the unique characteristics of each vineyard.

The vineyards consist of Cornish Point, Calvert, McMuir and Elms and the whole estate is biodynamic. For the last fifteen years fermentation has only been with wild yeasts and research has shown that 30% of these yeasts are unique to the site.

Rainfall here is low at around 30cm per year so irrigation is necessary. Planting is at an average of 4500 vines per hectare.

At the time of our visit they were already picking at Cornish Point, a vineyard somewhat removed from the main estate and surrounded by water on almost three sides. This makes it very different as it is warmer at night and cools southerly winds avoid high daytime temperatures. Picking has been four weeks earlier than usual but made up in part by an early spring which brought forward growth by two weeks.

Pinots are fermented 25% whole bunch with the remainder de-stemed whole berry. There is a five day soak before warming up to begin fermentation. If the grapes are too warm when brought in from the vineyard they can be put into a chiller first as they do not want fermentation starting too quickly. Following fermentation berries are left in contact for a week before the wine is put into barrel of which 33% will be new French oak. the wine will then be racked after a year. Chardonnay is put into old oak barrels, no new oak is used.

There are no additions except perhaps to replace tartaric if it has precipitated out. At bottling the maxim is low sulphur not no sulphur. This means concentrations of 30ppm for pinots and 40-50ppm for chardonnay.

Fermentation is underway for Cornish Point Pinot Noir

2016 Vintage

The high alcohol levels achieved in Central Otago are a function of the cold nights in the area. While temperatures can reach 30 degrees Celsius during the day they can be as low as 5 degrees at night. This results in the vines becoming dormant overnight with little repiration so non of the sugars accumulated during photosynthesis in the daytime are used up. These cold nights also elongates the average time from flowering to harvest, in Burgundy this will be 100 days but in Central Otago it is more like 115 days.

In 2016 nights were, on average, warmer. This resulted in picking earlier and there are slightly lower alcohol levels of 13.5% (1% lower). The Pinots are paler, more etherial giving a lighter style.

Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2016

Aromas of cherry, strawberry and dried herbs. Palate has lots of red fruits with just a touch of spice. This a very drinkable Bannockburn which gives lots of pleasure now.

Felton Road Calvert Pinot Noir 2016

Aromas of dark cherry, red berries and a lovely herby note. The palate has lovely red fruits and some floral character. Tannins are a little firmer. There is a good savoury, spicy finish.

Felton Road Cornish Point Pinot Noir 2016

Red/purple in appearance. Dark cherry and red fruits abound, complex with a nice balance, floral notes and a long savoury finish. Although very drinkable now it can only get better.

Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir 2016

Dark cherry and red berry fruits with delightful herby, floral notes. The palate is complex and elegant. A great wine in need of a few years to be at its absolute best.

Felton Road Bannockburn Chardonnay 2016

Aromas of lemon citrus, apricot and peach. palate has lovely balance, vanilla and a lovely salinity. this wine has a superb fish and is excellent drinking now.

Felton Road Block 6 Chardonnay 2016

A blockbuster of a wine! The nose is complex, tropical and stone fruits, hint of smoke and grapefruit. The palate has wonderful texture and balance. The finish is long and has peach and banana. A superb chardonnay.

Felton Road Bannockburn Riesling 2017

Lemons, lime and stone fruit. the palate is sweet on the front and dry on the back palate. Quite full textured with a lovely peachiness and slight sherbet lemon. A delightful wine and very quaffable at only 8.5% alcohol. Has 67g/l residual sugar.

A fantastic visit to Felton Road. These are wines worthy of investigation. Wine making at its best.