Great, finest, inimitable….
The first sunny and mid-teen temperature day in September lulls one into thinking that winter is over. I look at the blooms of my neighbour's prolific plum tree, the swollen buds on vines and my less enthusiastic peach tree and think ‘steady on, team'. But after a couple of these days, the mood lightens, I put a bottle of white wine in my fridge for the afternoon glass of pre-dinner clarity. The wine? Glad you asked….
Riesling – the white grape of Germany – in which Jancis Robinson MW usually adds the terms “Great, finest, inimitable...” is one of the Wairarapa’s great wine stories. Old glacier and riverbeds have the right amount of soil and stones to get a balance between bright fruit flavours and a broad palate of characters. One of the beautiful things about this most neglected of wines, lies in its simplicity to make it. All one has to do, is pick it at the right moment. Quickly and carefully press the bunches, ferment with the minimum of fuss, then as soon as possible, poke it into a bottle and give it a month or two to calm down. Now, these three wines are all variations upon that method.
The inimitable
Ata Rangi Kahu Riesling 2024 Wildly fermented – which means Helen et al allowed whatever yeast that were floating around the cellar free rein to convert the juice sugars into alcohol without a packet of yeast intervention. Hence, the wine has a complex array of fruits, florals and citrus notes. It does not reveal its charms instantly – but when it does, it has an “Oh my!” moment, eyebrows arched appropriately. A palate that meanders through aromatic meadows and glacial streams. This is the wine that one would buy and cellar. Much like the late owner of the Kahu Vineyard Gerald Hensley, who distinguished himself in a long career in the Diplomatic and Prime Ministers' office, it is reserved, slightly reticent and plays its cards close to its chest.
The great
Palliser Estate Riesling 2024 Like the first sip of a margarita on the first day of a long-planned holiday. All the stresses of planes, airports, delays, and piercing looks from your partner about getting off the elevator on the wrong floor melt away. Limes, minerals, almost salty (or beach adjacent), a starch-like crispness on a well-ironed shirt. Guy McMaster is at his most comfortable, gently corralling the razor-sharp, polished stainless character of Riesling with his intuitive grasp of acids and fruit sweetness to make a wine that is ready from now to at least 10 years. If anyone asked me how to celebrate that first holiday breakfast in a beachfront hotel, I would simply say a fresh fruit platter and a chilled glass of this wine. Maybe leave the bottle. And some Eggs Benedict.
The finest
Kusuda Riesling 2024 Hiro Kusuda and his family have managed to harness all the elements of Ikigai. That is, do something you love, what you are good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for. In other words, a reason for being. When you walk through a Riesling vineyard and taste the grapes to determine the pick date, your sole focus is on flavours. Once you harvest, there is no going back. Visually, you may see skins going slightly brown, shrivelling and maybe some botrytis. The leaves are yellow and have no energy. But the flavours held in the skins are small diamonds of pure joy. I don’t know how Hiro judges this moment to pick, but I do know he is very, very good at it. Pungent, aromatic, lifted lemon, lime, and orange blossom. The palate is an unbelievable balancing act, letting the roundness of the fruit sugar shine whilst the tart refreshing acid clenches it’s jaw, steeling itself for the years in the cellar.
These wines, and a whole lot more, are available at Martinborough Wine Merchants.
