Wine: New addition to family

Kidnapper Cliffs Solan 2009 $35. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Blended families are very common these days. Yours, mine and sometimes ours. Extra patience, care and a whole range of sensitivities are required. There's plenty to celebrate as well, instant companionship, lots of crazy unstructured chaos, and when there's a mishap you've always got someone else to blame. As an only child I deserve some sympathy for always having had to take the rap.

An intriguing kind of blended family has recently taken place in our wine industry. Two highly revered wineries Hawkes Bay's Te Awa and Martinborough's Dry River have joined to release a new premium wine brand, Kidnapper Cliffs.

It has a lot going for it, a collaboration between talented winemakers, Dry River's Neil McCallum and Ant McKenzie of Te Awa. It's the latest addition to American philanthropist Julian Robertson's New Zealand wine portfolio, and the Kidnapper Cliffs label takes its name from the prominent Cape Kidnappers landmark at the southern tip of Hawkes Bay.

The Kidnappers Cliffs' 17ha vineyard has been parcelled out from Te Awa's mature Hawkes Bay vine holdings specifically selected for its free-draining soil and consistent production of high-quality fruit.

McCallum retains chief winemaking duties along with his clinical viticultural expertise, and McKenzie heads overall project management. The sole intention is to create low-yield niche wines structured for long-term cellaring.

Says McCallum: "We're excited about the possibilities and we hope that those truly interested in wine will take the time to discover why. We're not here to replicate what has gone before. Expect surprises, expect fine wine."

The initial release includes a sauvignon blanc with a dash of semillon for good measure, chardonnay, a stunning merlot dominant red that includes cabernet franc and a drop of cabernet sauvignon. Syrah and, interestingly, pinotage complete the current impressive portfolio.

Packaging of Kidnapper Cliffs is top shelf, an understated chic label with bottles and red seals echoing Dry River wines. It is available only at the finest of wine shops and, as you would expect, at the Robertson family's luxury lodges and golf courses.

Recommended

Kidnapper Cliffs Solan 2009 $35
Sauvignon but not as you know it. Blended with a whisper of semillon in the style of white Bordeaux. This will age gracefully and develop more complexity, but already is delicious and opulent.

Kidnapper Cliffs Pinotage 2009 $45
Usually associated with South Africa and regarded as somewhat unfashionable, but drop all existing prejudices, this is flamboyant with berry fruit and rose petal flavours. Savoury with layers of fine fruit tannins, it deserves to do well.