Wine: The power of two

2008 Churton Marlborough Pinot Noir, $44. Photo / Greg Bowker

Hovering under the radar for more than a decade have been two of New Zealand's best wines, one white and one red. For most of that time 95 per cent of their production has been exported, mainly to Britain, so it hasn't gained a great deal of local traction. That's about to change and it's very good news for Kiwi wine lovers, because owner and winemaker Sam Weavers is a precise, driven and clever producer.

The label is Churton and the wines in question are his current release sauvignon blanc and pinot noir.

With both these varieties the consumer has plenty of choice at never-before-seen, low prices for wines of significant quality.

The Churton wines may not be at the cheaper end of the spectrum but nor do they fit the "more of the same" style of winemaking that can be prevalent in harsher cost-cutting times.

It's sauvignon and pinot, but not as we've known it. Says Weavers, "At Churton we've only ever concentrated on the two wines. It has been a deliberate decision, we're just trying to do things really well."

For almost three years the vineyard has been farmed using bio-dynamic principles, although Weavers says he doesn't adhere 100 per cent to the dogma.

He is, however, dogmatic about his closures on both wines. "I don't see a textural development under screwcaps, so we only ever use cork."

He doesn't enter wine competitions either. "We like to develop our wines slowly and have them gain some confidence, so they don't show out especially well early on. They're designed for food and they tend to be dry and complex, with this tight minerality."

The mantra is, New World wine tempered with Old World style. The proof is in the bottles. The wines are exciting, subtle, ethereal, sophisticated and enticing. Without giving too much away, they are different, and it's that difference that makes you wonder whether, in fact, they were produced in Marlborough.

Thanks to a difficult export market, a climbing Kiwi dollar and a global wine glut, Churton wines should be more readily available. Just don't go looking in your supermarket.

RECOMMENDED

2009 Churton Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $26
A wine for those who are "sauvignoned out". This is a head-turner with big aromatics, citrus and floral characteristics with a thread of creamy minerality. Bone dry, with a crisp acidic backbone.

2008 Churton Marlborough Pinot Noir, $44
Nothing in your face about this wine. It is all about texture, length, complexity and savouriness. It is an outstanding Burgundian-style pinot, silky and smooth.