Making great wine is simple, just bung some vines in a patch of dirt and the magic will happen, right? Um, wrong. The reason these “single-vineyard” wines are so glorious is because some serious thought has gone into matching the precise plot with perfect soils to grow these specific styles.
Some wines available from BITEwine.co.nz for a limited time
Ara Select Block Limited Release M62 Pinot Noir 2012
Just 1.8kg of fruit per vine was hand-harvested to create this wine, while the Marlborough average is around 3kg per vine. This crop-thinning has created an intensely aromatic, flavour-dense wine bursting with buckthorn,
black tea and cranberry characters on the nose and fresh berries and cherries on the palate. The fruit is sewn together with precise acidity, stretchy tannins and stacks of spice. Seriously tasty.
Price: $44.95
The Crusher Petite Sirah 2012
Created in Clarksburg, near Sacramento, this wine is definitely a new favourite for me. This super-dark, meaty, spice-scented wine has petite sirah as its star, bolstered by a squeak of 6 per cent alicante bouschet and 6 per cent pinot noir for extra floral lift. Flavour-wise it has layers of comforting, medicinal-like sarsaparilla and pepper characters and a gamey, warming finish.
Price: $26
Omaka Springs Estates Falveys Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2014
Punchy, peachy characters are pressed between layers of pineapple and cinnamon on toast. Nicely balanced and boasting a hint of creaminess, this is a nicely crafted chardonnay which really over-delivers for the price. Omaka translates to "where the springs flow", and if this effort from winemaker Ian Marchant is any indication, it's also where good talent flows, too.
Price: $18
