A small producer at Waipara with a popular eatery, Black Estate serves locally foraged food, including truffles in winter. Founded in 1993 by Russell and Kumiko Black, it was acquired in 2007 by Nicholas Brown and Pen Naish, in partnership with the Naish family.
“It was a freaky year,” recallsPen Naish. “We had an industry oversupply and then the global economy crashed as well … We decided we just had to get on with it. And then [in 2011] the earthquake hit Christchurch.”
Today, Black Estate’s vines on dense, clay-limestone soils produce a stream of high quality, organically certified wines. The producer is well regarded for pinot noir – Black Estate Damsteep North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2021 (★★★★★, $55) was reviewed in last week’s feature on organic wines – but a recent tasting revealed several other highly characterful wines worth discovering.
Black Estate Home Pét Nat 2023
★★★★★
Full of personality, this racy white wine is an “effervescent” chenin blanc, estate-grown and hand-picked. Initially tank-fermented, it then finished its fermentation in the bottle and was matured on its yeast lees for 13 months. Disgorged in May 2024, it was bottled unfined and unfiltered with “no winemaking additives”, and closed with a crown seal. A distinctive, spritzig wine, it has vigorous, lemony, appley flavours, gentle yeastiness, appetising acidity and a dryish, lingering finish. A delicious mouthful. (12% alc/vol) $55
Black Estate Damsteep North Canterbury Riesling 2023
This highly characterful wine was fermented and aged on its yeast lees in small stainless steel tanks. Pale gold, it is fragrant and full-bodied, with rich, peachy, slightly spicy and gingery flavours, balanced acidity and a dry finish. Intense and vigorous, it is already drinking well, but should be at its best 2026+. (13% alc/vol) $40
Black Estate Home North Canterbury Cabernet Franc 2022
★★★★½
This attractive red was estate-grown, matured for eight months in old French oak puncheons, and bottled without any addition of the preservative sulphur dioxide. Full-coloured, softly mouthfilling and vibrantly fruity, it has gentle acidity and strong red berry, plum and spice flavours, showing considerable complexity. (12.5% alc/vol) $55
