Small but perfectly formed

Page 1 of 2 View as a single page 5:00AM Friday April 25, 2008
By Jo Burzynska

Pond Paddock Hawk's Flight Martinborough Pinot Noir 2006 is surprisingly affordable. Photo / Babiche Martens

Having followed the fortunes of Martinborough's wines from foreign shores for years, my first visit to the region was a revelation. Given their large reputation, I'd not really taken on board the size of the place. I marvelled at its diminutive scale, where most of its tiny vineyards are a short walk from each other.

"Small is beautiful" could be Martinborough's mantra. It's something that not only applies to its geographical proportions, but to its predominantly boutique players and the production size.

A mixture of Martinborough's lean gravel soils and climate means that its vines regularly produce very small quantities of grapes. In recent years this has been exacerbated by the growing regularity of severe frosts, which reduced crop levels in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

"The incidence of spring frosts has risen greatly since 1992," notes long-time Martinborough player, Neil McCallum of Dry River. Short vintages are hard on small wineries, some of whom have struggled to maintain supply and cash flow.

"Small crops are a double-edged sword," observes Ata Rangi's Clive Paton. "It gives you concentration and extraction, but the downside is that you have to manage your finances carefully as you could get three bad years in a row."

As the district that put New Zealand pinot noir on the world wine map, one thing it has in spades is experience with its main grape, pinot noir, and the vine age that's so closely linked to the variety's longevity. It's also home to some of the country's most talented winemakers and leading wineries, such as Dry River, Ata Rangi, Martinborough Vineyard and rising star Escarpment.

It may be small but what it has to offer is diverse. "I don't believe you can pin down the Martinborough style," thinks Palliser's Richard Riddiford. "The region is making a range of styles, which makes it interesting."

Speaking to Martinborough pinot pioneer, Escarpment's Larry McKenna, some years back, he maintained that at that point style in Martinborough pinot was more about human influence than differences between sites. However, McKenna's latest project looks set to prove that the region's sites are ready to speak for themselves.

In what has to be one of the most exciting launches of the year, Escarpment has just released its "Martinborough Insight Series": three new pinots sourced from single vineyards across the region, which join Escarpment's existing Kupe Pinot from its own estate Te Muna Road vineyard.

"I think it's time to start defining Martinborough as a region through single vineyard wines," states McKenna, and these four fascinating pinots each show a very different expression of the variety derived from where their grapes were grown.

More Articles:

Next Life & Style Story: The Dish: The big cheese

Life & Style Homepage