It is very difficult not to like Gordon Russell. He has such wonderful, genuine enthusiasm for his job, a range of amusing anecdotes, and the biggest bonus of all, makes really good wine. On a recent freezing winter's evening, I went along to a tasting he was hosting to listen to his stories and have a look at what was on offer from one of Hawke's Bay's most reliable producers.
First up was the 2008 Esk Valley Black Label Verdelho a crisp and quite full-bodied white with a lovely smoky mandarin and herbal nose leading to a palate rich in grapefruit, lime, aniseed and mineral notes. There is just a touch of residual sugar to balance the wine, and the brisk acidity adds freshness to the finish. Esk Valley is the pioneer for this variety in NZ, with Gordon becoming interested in its potential at a Villa Maria conference back in 1993, where it was mooted as a ‘variety for the future’. Gordon must be the persistent type as their Australian cuttings initially yielded around five berries per bunch, but seven vintages later the flavorsome Gimblett Gravels-grown wine should be making other producers consider its merits.
Tasted alongside the Verdelho was the 2008 Esk Valley Black Label Chenin Blanc. This once ubiquitous variety is now really only grown by Esk and Millton Estate in Gisborne, and not that many years ago, Esk’s own Chenin provided a useful way to keep their barrels moist and spoilage free when not in use for chardonnay. Taken more seriosuly now, the style has changed over the years towards a very pure, delicate botrytis-free example and now, while 20-30% of the wine still spends time in very old Burgundy barrels, it is regarded as a quality example in its own right. As befitting a variety capable of great ageing potential, the 2008 is initially quite closed to begin with, showing light apple and fresh straw but opens up with more quince and stonefruit aromas. The palate is dry but with rich ripe fruit, peachy and a touch honeyed. As with most of Esk’s wines these days, wild yeast ferment is used. Full-bodied and rounded in style, yet with a dancing sort of delicacy, this is a youthful wine that has yet to unfold fully and would be well worth tucking away for a few years to come.
Chardonnay in New Zealand and Hawke’s Bay in particular, has been undergoing a quiet yet distinct change in style, with more emphasis on fruit quality, texture and balance and less on winemaking bells and whistles. The evolution of Esk Valley’s Chardonnays, in particular its Reserve range has seen a move from 100% new oak to 20-30% new oak, a reduction in the amount of wine going through malolactic fermentation (and when done, used for acid adjustment rather than diacetyl character development) and a far greater emphasis on translating the terroir of the vineyard in the glass. The Reserve Chardonnays of 2002 and earlier were pretty highly regarded wines, but the opportunity to taste the most recent releases of the 2006 Esk Valley Reserve Chardonnay and the 2007 Esk Valley Reserve Chardonnay suggest that the directional change Gordon and his team have made has put them on a fantastic track with this variety – these are two delicious, complete and satisfying chardonnays. Gordon outlined his winemaking philosophy for the chardonnays – hand-picked, whole bunch pressed and run straight off into barrels. Then essentially, just let the wine do the work – generally there are no enzymatic or other additions, lees stirring is minimal and the result is a pale coloured wine with beautiful mouth-feel that suggests good ageing capability. The 2006 is showing the benefit of an extra year in bottle with a fantastic nose, citrus, brown biscuit and toasty, mealy characters and a savory seamless palate of ripe stonefruit with a great mineral undercurrent. A real stunner, this wine was very elegant, with great balance and restraint and fabulous length. At $30-odd, this has got to be one of the better value chardonnays of its quality too. The 2007 was equally delicious, with the same beautiful texture and length. As expected, more youthful with strong citrus and stuck match on the nose and a lovely pithy citrus and toast palate with a hint of nuttiness on the finish. Seamless and complex despite its youth, this is a lighter wine than the 2006 but certainly not lacking in concentration.
Moving on to the reds, we started with the 2006 Esk Valley Black Label Syrah, a variety about which Gordon is enormously enthusiastic, saying it is Hawke’s Bay’s answer to pinot noir - while it may have more tannin and body, it has the same perfumed, aromatic style and fresh acidity. I think we should be so lucky if HB winemakers confine themselves to syrah at the expense of pinot noir, and Esk Valley’s two syrahs are fairly convincing examples of why this variety is making such a good name for itself in the region. The 2006 Black Label Syrah undoubtedly a steal at around $20 with excellent varietal expression, plenty of black berryfruit, blueberries, vanilla and spice from light and well-integrated oak, opening up to loads of white pepper and a very exotic spicy finish. Intially, Esk Valley made these wines similar to their Bordeaux varietals but after consideration began to experiment with making them more in the manner of pinot noir with extended time on skins, long (wild) ferments and using Burgundy barrels. The result gives a wine with very fine-grained tannins and a silky texture akin to good pinot noir. There is a definite suppleness to this wine and the around 18 months spent in oak (albeit older) has given a rounded complexity. Though it was not shown at the tasting, out of interest I purchased a bottle of the 2006 Esk Valley Reserve Syrah for comparison. Though kindred spirits, there is a step up in intensity and concentration and though relatively closed, it already shows more complexity and as well as the dark brambly fruit, hints of black olives and tar. That lovely texture and suppleness remains and the oak is elegant and admirally integrated.
Bordeaux varietals are what Hawke's Bay - and Esk Valley - have made their name from, and we started with two vintages of the very good value Esk Valley Black Label Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2006 is very merlot-dominant (76%)and shows a lushness and red fruitedness common to the variety. Aromatic and gently fleshy, this wine offers very attractive drinking now, elegant and medium-bodied with a savoury spiciness to its finish. The 2007 is only just merlot-dominant (39%) with 37% cabernet sauvignon from a vintage Gordon regardsas one of the best for the variety for a long time. This wine is a little more closed with more of the herbal leafiness of cabernet as well as graphite, cedar and cigar box aromas. The palate has more of the linear structure of cabernet as well as firmer tannins though it has that lovely suppleness and balance seen in all the reds so far.
The next wine was a bit of a treat, so seldom does one get to look at older vintages of NZ wines. The 2000 Esk Valley Reserve Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon was served from a magnum, which may have contributed to its fresh and lively character, and had a lovely aromatic nose with a touch of dried leaves and spicy cigar box. The palate is still quite fresh though it is starting to shows its age and does fade somewhat after time in the glass. Nevertheless, it s a lovely wine with good richness and balance and it was great to get a look at how Esk's wines age.
No rest for the wicked, with the 2005 Esk Valley Reserve Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon next, chosen as Gordon felt there were similarities in vintage character between 2000 and 2005 and thus this wine would make an excellent comparison to the 2000. Certainly, it showed the excellent balance and elegance of the first wine but its relative youth also added an opulent fruitiness and almost a touch of chocolate and kirsch. The tannins are firm and ripe and the wine is lengthy. Certainly enjoyable now, but should reward a few years in the cellar, and the attractiveness of the 2000 means one would do so with confidence. A good comparison indeed.
Finally, the icon wine of Esk Valley and one of New Zealand's most highly regarded Bordeaux blends, 2006 The Terraces. The Terraces vineyard was first established in the 40s though by the time Villa Maria took over in 1986 it was a pine plantation. However, seeing the potential in the site, reputed to be the earliest ripening in Hawke's Bay, the pines were felled and the proceeds of the sale used to refurbish the vineyard, and replant it with cabernets sauvignon and franc, merlot and malbec. This vineyard is now more fastidiously cared for than Kew Gardens with a fulltime vineyard manager and part time assistant for its single hectare. With crops around 4 tonnes,Gordon therefore estimates labour costs to be around $20k per tonne or one bottle per vine; making its asking price of $140 a bottle surely a bargain and a half?. The cabernet sauvignon was subsequently found to be planted in the coolest part of the vineyard and was replaced with malbec. The three remaining varieties are picked on the same date (requiring a lot of careful, clever management to get them optimally ripe for the one harvest date), co-fermented (initially a necessity of space and resources but Gordon has also been inspired and emboldened by Alsace maverick Marcel Deiss' forays into this area). Aged in 100% new oak, around 11-13 barrels of The Terraces are made when the vintage is deemed of sufficient quality to reflect the site. The result is a significant step up in intensity and concentration, not that the previous wines had seemed lacking in any way so this is quite a feat in itself. It is a remarkably expressive wine, one that has beautifully and seamlessly absorbed the 100% new oak. Ripe and characterful, it is full-bodied, dry and elegant, lengthy and complex. A baby to be sure, one foresees a great future for this wine, put it away for at least ten years. Interestingly, Esk have now also planted syrah, mingled with some rousanne and viognier in a previously fallow part of the Terraces vineyard. Watch this space, Gordon had a definite gleam in his eye...
When looking back over my notes from this tasting, the words I see repeated throughout the wines are ‘restraint’, ‘elegance’ and ‘balance’. It was difficult to see a weak link in the lineup, and previous tastings of the wines bolster that impression. Gordon acknowledges Esk Valley generally has more fruit than needed, allowing them to select the best for their own needs with owner, Villa Maria, finding a home for the rest. No doubt Esk also benefits from the experience and capital of Villa Maria, as the care and attention to detail and dedication to quality have long been a hallmark of all in the Villa Maria stable. The combination of the skill and obvious passion of Gordon, the quality and care of their vineyards and a hands-off approach to winemaking has given a superb range of wines, displaying character, elegance and individuality. This is winery with plenty of history, and an exciting future too.
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