Salut/Hi st.helier,
le/on Tue, 27 Apr 2004 08:00:42 +1200, tu disais/you said:-
>Now that Marlborough is recognised as "the benchmark", there is an
>increasing number of northern hemisphere winemakers traveling to these
>shores to "learn the secrets of success" of Marlborough.
>
>The truth is "terrior"!!!
!! I've hard that kiwis walk on their heads, Andrew but really!!!
>> My understanding is that in Marlborough (and maybe the other loci as well)
>> a portion of the fruit is harvested early, while the grassy/cat pee
>> aromatics are strong. The remainder is harvested at full maturity and blended into
>> the early crop to bring up the alcohol and body of the wine.
> but I can categorically state that this simply not the case in Marlborough.
I hope you don't mind if I put a question mark on this, Andrew. I have a
distinct recollection of several people - most notably Ewan Ward, the wine
maker of Morton Estate telling us in 2001 during the Wine Institute of New
Zealand's Tutored tasting "New Zealand Sauvignons" at Vinexpo - saying that
is _exactly_ how they play with the cepage to get the complexity and layers
of flavour they were looking for. Now that may have changed either before or
after you were involved or I attended that workshop, but my recollection on
this is pretty clear.
>
>Grapes are ripened to optimum and then are picked - by far the greater %
>machine harvested.
Again without wanting to be argumentative, "optimum" can be a variable
beast, and can be taken to mean that in some sites they pick at early
maturity and others at later, to give "optimum" results in the bottle. Do
you see what I mean?
I quote from the notes from the 1996 Villa Maria Cellar selection
Marlborough SB. "Once the grapes reached their degrees of ripeness we
harvested them and juiced them separately..." Which while not being a
specific corroboration, clearly implies that different degrees are sought.
Again, notes for the Morton Estate 1996 White label (Hawkes Bay - OK OK IMH)
Sauvignon Blanc:-
"As sauvignon Blanc ripens its varietal characters change from grassy herbal
tones to floral tropical tones.
The fruit for this wine was harvested after a period of approcimately two
weeks to capture the widest possible range of these flavours."
This second sentence only makes sense if for "after" you read "over", I
think.
>Of course, individual vineyards (and site within vineyards) will ripen at
>differing rates and be harvested at different times, but the distinctive
>qualities are NOT the result of "manipulation"
All wine making is manipulation in one sense or another. One man's
"manipulation" is another's "capture the widest possible range of these
flavours" I don't have any KIND of problem with this, and I didn't read
Tom's comments as being in any way pejorative.
>As far as Sancerre is concerned, French growers and winemakers are not
>taking the success of Marlborough (and their corresponding diminishing of
>popularity) laying down.
Personally I think they're crazy. Sancerre should remain Sancerre, Pouilly
Fumé, Pouilly Fumé and Bordeaux should remain Bordeaux. I always rather
regretted the shift in white Bordeaux wine making techniques to make their
wines crisper and grassier, and therefore closer to Sancerre.
The only reasons for doing so IMO a-
a) if the use of a varietal makes people _expect_ Sancerre to be like
something it isn't.
b) this - along with higher prices - damages sales.
But personally I think the answer should be better education of the public
rather than imitation.
--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
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