Sherbrooke Sips with R&R: New Zealand
Winery: Stoneleigh
Vintage: 2008
Location: Marlborough, New Zealand
Alcohol: 13%
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting: Wednesday, April 7, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
New Zealand is located in the picturesque South Pacific. New Zealand wine has been on the Canadian radar for a number of years. Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough has been a perennial favourite. However, we are seeing much more coming from these beautiful islands: Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio, Viognier. Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah. That is quite a selection to quench our thirst!
“In Rapaura, Marlborough there lies a vineyard studded with precious stones. Once the bed of an ancient river, today they form the bed of our vineyard.” That is the beginning of the Stoneleigh Winery history.
As we were reading the story of Stoneleigh, the first thing we thought was that it sounded almost magical. Lo and behold at the bottom of the page didn’t it say “Stoneleigh - Made with the Magic of Sunstones.” The Rapaura region of New Zealand is slightly warmer than other regions of Marloborough, so the fruit will ripen a little earlier.
We usually think of harvest time as the fall - September to October. Well these grapes were harvested between March 23 and April 15, which is their fall down under. Jamie Marfell, Senior Winemaker for Stoneleigh Winery said “The 2008 vintage was a fantastic grape growing year for the wines of Stoneleigh. Periodic rainfall events throughout summer gave strong vine health, boosting what is needed on our stony, gravelly vineyards. Starting harvest in late March, the fruit was in premium condition with intense flavours and balanced acidity. Making picking decisions based on flavour, I was able to target passionfruit and grapefruit flavours, minimizing the greener notes. The resultant wine is a true expression of the Rapaura region with strong aromatics, an intense palate and clean, fresh acidity.” Now if that doesn’t make your mouth water, I don’t know what would!
Stoneleigh began winemaking at the Marlborough Estate in the 1980’s so its history is relatively short. However, a number of their wines have won awards. The Stoneleigh Marlborough Chardonnay 1996 was named White Wine of the Year at the 1998 International Wine Challenge in London. This was followed by two successive vintages of the Sauvignon Blanc receiving Best Buy recommendations from Wine Spectator Magazine. Now awards are great, but what is most important is what you think of the wine.
In North America we are used to mega filtering of everything. Well, if you over filter the wine, you will lose some of its character and flavour… and that would not be a good thing. At Stoneleigh the winemaker takes a minimalist approach when making the wine and only subtly intervenes to add some complexity and to enhance the fruit’s unique characteristics. The wines are fined very lightly, so that they maintain all the qualities of the fruit.
It has been a few years since we last tasted this wine, so we thought it was well time to do it again.
When you taste this wine you will notice the citrus, ripe grapefruit and passionfruit right off the bat. There are also some mineral notes as well. The acidity is nicely balanced with the nice fruit on the palate.
Food Pairing:
Asparagus, chicken (fried, roasted, or sautéed), goat cheese, white fish (poached or sautéed), oysters, pasta with a cream sauce, light salad, turkey.
CSPC: 293043
Price:
$17.99 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)
*Price correct at time of printing. Price subject to change without notice.
Come join myself and Richard in Spain next week. Our frequent flyer miles are adding up!!
Tags: New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc