The frustrations of a pinot drinker ... With so many clones of the pinot vine, performance varies greatly ... "Fickle and troublesome" ... Justinian's wine correspondent Gabriel Wendler finds some complex and brooding pinots among Craggy Range's Te Muna Road selection ... Taste-up at Chiswick Gardens
THE Craggy Range Te Muna Road 10 year pinot noir wine retrospective held at fashionable Chiswick Restaurant in Woollahra was a most informative affair.
I have written about Craggy Range's commitment to wine excellence when reviewing wines made from their vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels area of Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.
Te Muna is the name of Craggy Range's Martinborough vineyard. In the Maori language it means "secret place".
It was planted in 1999. The elevated vineyard comprises pinot noir and sauvignon blanc vines in two discrete terraces.
Seven kilometres away lies the attractive town of Martinborough, girt by vines and where, apparently, any discussion concerning the business of cultivating pinot noir and wine made from its fruit is taken very seriously.
There are now over 30 wineries in the Martinborough area - with the original plantings by Dry River, Ata Rangi, Martinborough Wines, Palliser Estate and Cambridge Road.
It is notorious that the pinot vine is genetically unstable, resulting in mutation.
Te Muna Road vineyard, Martinborough NZ. Standout pinots from 2005, 2007 and 2009
There are estimated to be over 1,000 clones of pinot with about 200 in regular use.
The pinot vine is ancient and been cultivated since the time of the Gallic conqueror, Brennus in 400 BC.
Anthony Hanson in his condensed book Burgundy (Faber & Faber 1982) reports:
"The Gauls would exchange a slave for a measure of wine, indeed sell themselves as a last resort."
Pinot noir is the principal grape variety of the Burgundy region, with some of the world's most expensive wines made from this grape - for example DRC burgundy.
The Te Muna vineyard has eight clones of pinot and, understandably, some perform better than others.
Steve Smith MW, viticulturist and director of wine at Craggy Range, settled upon a multiple selection of clones suited to the gout de terroir of the Martinborough region.
One is the Abel clone, also known as the Atta Rangi, allegedly from the famous La Tache vineyard in Burgundy.
The MV6 pinot clone, originating from the commune of Vougeot in the Cote de Nuits, and the Dijon clones, are the most widely cultivated in Australia.
It is said that the flavour of pinot is "chameleon-like".
Steve Smith MW - chose a variety of pinot clones suited to Martinborough
Pinot aficionados - happily I am one - often feel frustrated because there are very few truly great pinot experiences. Consequently, much treasure is spent for little satisfaction.
However, when happenstance delivers a superb pinot wine somehow one forgets the duration and irritation of the journey that led to its discovery.
The recruitment of terms such as "strawberry ... black cherry ... all spice ... red fruits" are used, perhaps overused, to describe typical pinot flavour characteristics.
The colour of wine made from pinot noir ranges from light soft raspberry red to Indian ink. Alcohol is sometimes up to 14.5 percent.
In short, the range of pinot wine characteristics is as disparate as its quality, with Robert Parker Jr describing the pinot grape as "the most fickle and troublesome".
Pinot made in Burgundy is different from pinot made in Oregon, which is different from pinot made in Gippsland, the Yarra Valley or Tasmania - just as pinot from central Otago will be different from that in Martinborough.
I remember wine writer Huon Hooke once observed, correctly, that "there is no single style" when dealing with pinot and his "preferred pinots" are often the "paler ones".
The thrill of finding bottle aged pinot exhibiting corpulent mouth feel, an articulate structure of bitter Swiss chocolate and cherry notes evolving in the manner of a peacock's tail is why lovers of this grape will never surrender the chase for great pinot - no matter the country of origin.
The Te Muna pinot tasting retrospective comprised vintages from 2002 to 2011.
Steve Smith MW, assisted by Craggy Range Marketing and Sales Director, the indefatigable Mary-Jeanne Hutchinson, guided participants through the wines including relevant technical data concerning the 10 vintages.
For me, the standout Te Muna Road pinots were from 2005, 2007 and 2009.
In the end I scored the 2005 and 2007 equally at 96 points. Both wines are complex, brooding, have years left and will evolve into wines of great pleasure.
I thought the 2009 excellent, with a formidable future.
The poet, Abraham Cowley, was probably drinking pinot when he wrote:
"Fill the bowl with rosy wine
Around our temples roses twine
And let us cheerfully awhile
Like the wine and roses smile."
G.D.W.