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Issue N.31 Year 5 Jul/Aug 2020 Price: GBP: 5.00 USD: 5.00 EU: 5.00 VND: 110.000 2 3 CONTENTS 4 CONTENTS ► Wine & Spirit reviews - 20 ► Wine Personality: Allan Scott - 60 ► Contact us - 77 COLUMNS ► Alfredo de la Casa: Discover New Zealand - 29 ► Linh Nguyen: Marlborough - 61 WINERY REVIEWS ► Brancott - 7 ► Pegasus Bay - 51 ► Palliser - 67 Published by Green Talent Ltd in London, UK. © Green Talent Ltd 2006-2020. Green Talent Ltd registered in England 05905795 5 6 WINERY REVIEW: BRANCOTT Until the 1970s, Marlborough was just another By the end of the decade, their Marlborough pretty pocket of New Zealand, considered too Sauvignon Blanc was selected from more than cold for anything but sheep grazing. 1100 competitors to win the prestigious Marquis de Goulaine trophy at the 21st International In 1973, the first seedlings theyre planted at the Wine & Spirit Competition. Brancott Estate Vineyard. But after two years of mixed success, they rethought tradition to take "The guys who started it all." their vines in a new direction – literally. - Oz Clarke Thanks to the region's sunny days and crisp By 1990 the wine industry in Marlborough had nights, their grapes developed a unique and become significant enough to welcome a visit fresh flavour profile – and by 1979 from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, who Marlborough's first ever Sauvignon Blanc was planted a vine on Festival Block, home of the born. Marlborough Food and Wine Festival since 1987. The eighties got off to a good start, with their first release Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc That same year saw the appointment of a new winning Gold at the 1980 New Zealand Easter cellar hand, Patrick Materman, who would go Show. on to become Chief Winemaker and lead the exploration into new expressions of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. In 1982, their first shipment of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was shared beyond their borders, as it headed for the UK. 7 10 Their 1996 Marlborough Chardonnay was voted organic range, Living Land, and in 2011, the International Wine of the Year and winemaker Brancott Estate Cellar Door and Restaurant Andy Frost was named White Winemaker of the opened its doors. Year at the London International Wine Challenge. After releasing the first ever vintage of Marlborough Sauvignon Gris, they launched Today, Andy heads up their Wine Innovation Brancott Estate Chosen Rows, their finest age- programme, drawing on his vast experience to worthy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. develop new expressions of Marlborough. They also released the first vintage of Flight, a Eleven years after joining as a cellar hand, fresh take on Sauvignon Blanc that's naturally Patrick Materman was named New Zealand lighter in alcohol. Winemaker of the Year by Winestate Magazine. Their range of Sauvignon Blanc wines now In 2006, Brancott Estate planted the first includes sparkling, organic, oak-influenced, Sauvignon Gris vines in Marlborough, an naturally low-alcohol, age-worthy and late- ancient varietal that has faded into obscurity harvest wines. until a few vines were found and transplanted to New Zealand. All the while, their signature Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc continues to hold its own, with Proving to be as well adapted to Marlborough a constant stream of awards and accolades as its near cousin, Sauvignon Blanc, the first from around the world. Sauvignon Gris was released in 2009. The following year, Brancott Estate released its 11 14 It’s all about place. And they believe their place it needs constant care. is special. They see and celebrate a “moutereness” in their wines. Their vines are planted in deep clay gravel soils, laid down by ancient, long melted Nelson’s Moutere Hills are sited in the centre of glaciers. These kaolinitic clay soils have a the northern tip of the South Island of New naturally low fertility and a sandy loam topsoil Zealand. Mountain ranges to the east, south with an ever expanding organic matter content. and west provide a rain shadow effect, while Tasman Bay to the north ensures a maritime They have a great water holding capacity which climate. allows us to dry farm their vines through the sunny Nelson summer. Their home plantings spill down a gentle north- facing slope overlooking a side branch of the They compost their grape skins and seeds and Moutere Valley. The valley floor is home to hop return them back to the vineyard floor to boost gardens, orchards, berry farms and new soil biodiversity and complete the nutrient cycle. vineyards. They have planted their vineyards on selected Nelson often has the highest sunshine hours in north facing slopes, embracing the “warm site in the country; summer growing months are warm a cool climate” effect. and relatively dry, with the possibility of rain increasing towards Autumn. Night temperatures These slopes also act as frost protection, cool markedly towards vintage, but damaging draining cold air from the vineyard down to the frosts are rare. valley floor. Great wines can only come from healthy soils. Healthy soil is their greatest vineyard asset. And 15 16 Worms are the unseen workhorses in their contribute organic matter to the soil. vineyard, scavenging organic matter such as To quote soil ecologist Dr Emmanuel leaves and grass and breaking it down, aerating Bourguignon when he visited some years back the soil as they go. ..“I have always loved your wines … and now I can see why”. Their excrement feeds an army of soil microbes which continue the good work, producing This comment was made while he inspected the nutrients suitable for the vine to use, building up roots down at four metres soil structure and keeping harmful pathogens at bay. The Mendoza clone with its firm acid and high extract provides the foundation for their Moutere Mycorrhizal fungi on the vine roots hugely Chardonnay. increase the vine’s ability to pick up these nutrients (and water), and in return they get to New clonal material is consistently being feed on sugars produced by the vine. They just evaluated. Clone 548 now joins clones 15 and love that symbiosis. 8021 in playing minor but important roles in Rosie’s Block, alongside the backbone of To keep these organisms working they need to Mendoza. maintain good levels of organic matter in the soil. Here at Neudorf, soil organic matter is Pinot Noir is notoriously genetically variable and enhanced by the presence of a permanent a number of clones have been evaluated. Clone inter-row sward, mulched prunings and the 5 and 777 form the basis of both their Moutere return of composted winery waste. and Tom’s Block Pinot Noir. These are assisted by clones 667, 113, 114 and 115. Inter row herbs and grasses provide plant and insect species diversity, reduce plant vigour and 17 All new plantings are carefully considered. Vineyard management is driven by the desire Organic viticulture revolves around matching a for ripe flavours with balanced acidity and site’s features with the right variety, clone and concentrated fruit. rootstock combination. Vine density ranges from 1667 vines/ha in their All vines are grafted onto a mixture of 37 year old Moutere Mendoza to 4545 vines/ha rootstocks. The all-rounder of rootstocks 3309 on some close planted Mendoza at Rosie’s is extremely resilient on their clay soils and the Block. ever popular SO4 is bringing some vigour back into the blocks that were affected by conversion Low production (1.5kg per vine for Pinot Noir, to organics. 2kg/vine for aromatics and 2.5kg/vine for Chardonnay) helps achieve the quality of fruit to With a maritime climate it is essential to create long-lived, intense but elegant wines. maintain an open canopy to allow sunlight and air to penetrate, reducing the pressure of Dry farming means the mature grapes get only disease. the irrigation that Mother Nature sees fit to give. This aspect of struggle requires the vine’s roots Their vineyard canopy design includes single to search deep for water, providing increased and double cane vertically shoot positioned drought resistance and greater expression of (VSP) vines, creating a thin, upright canopy that the native terroir. intercepts as much sunlight as possible. Their older vines now have roots spreading To balance vigour in some of their blocks, they through the virgin Moutere Clay-Gravels to a are trialling spur pruning, a method of retaining depth of four plus metres. a permanent fruiting cordon with two-bud fruiting spurs. 18 19 Billaud Simon Chablis 2018, France All of the parcels at Domaine Billaud-Simon are planted within a two kilometre radius, on the left and right banks of the Serein, in the heart of this historical appellation. The Domaine currently counts four Grands Crus: Les Clos, Vaudésir, Les Preuses and Les Blanchots as well as four Premiers Crus: Montée de Tonnerre, Fourchaume, Mont de Milieu and Les Vaillons. It also produces wines from Petit Chablis and Chablis, including the “Tête d’Or”. his prestigious cuvée is made from a blend of the village’s highest quality parcels which are situated right next to the best Premiers Crus and Grands Crus. Billaud-Simon’s exceptional quality vieilles vignes (old vines) are carefully tended to and enhanced by the domaine’s team of winemakers. Peach, banana and citrus on the nose. Smooth elegant palate. Ideal with oysters and seafood 9POIN0 TS 20 Envidia Cochina Albarino 2016, Rias Baixas, Spain. The vineyards belonging to Adega Familiar Eladio Pineiro are located throughout the Salnés Valley. They average thirty years old and have been in transition to biodynamics for more than eight years. After fermentation, Eladio selected the upper part of the casks with higher fruit ratios (Tête de Cuvée).