The Canterbury hills start gently, but soon turn as twisty and canyonesque as any South Island road…though the heights aren't as high, and cattle and sheep cling to the slopesides in equal measure, finally giving way to twisty riverbeds and a warm, tan landscape carpeted by lush greenery. The road descends eastward, and without warning our car is buffeted by strong ocean winds. White and turquoise waves crash against weather-beaten shores. A week and a half after our arrival in the Land of the Long White Cloud, the Pacific Ocean is noisily reminding us of how far we've come.
Twisted cliffside precipices allow no respite from the constant acceleration and braking that is the ritual of driving in New Zealand, though the spectacular vistas to our right prove more than a bit of a distraction. Soon, we're pulling into the decidedly resort-like community of Kaikoura, along with a steady stream of tourists in search of...well, we don't know.
Probably crayfish. Kaikoura is allegedly the home of a great Kiwi delicacy, clawless lobsters with a sweet and succulent meat, or so we've been led to believe. But we're too stuffed after our lunch at Pegasus Bay to enter a restaurant, and no one on the town's single (but lengthy) commercial street seems to sell them in uncooked form. So we settle for a brief walk along a beachfront path crested by windblown whale ribs – hey Jonah, check us out! – and then return to the coastal road.
Whaling and gnashing of teeth
The distracting lull of ocean waves coupled with a (relatively) easy drive leads to a sense of security that doesn't prepare us for the final approach to Marlborough. Turning inland, we gently ascend a desolate, rocky plain that, without warning, delivers a nausea-inducing twenty minutes of switchbacks and precipitous drops into the Awatere Valley. Vines are around us, but they seem displaced and isolated amidst a less than welcoming landscape. Another series of violent turns follows, but just at the point that it all seems too much to bear, the road straightens and descends into the smooth, green Wairau Valley. Marlborough – or rather, the Marlborough of popular conception – at last.
Mussel bound
Wine regions don't always look much like their highly-staged publicity photos would have one believe. Not so with Marlborough. Long, flat valleys of vines stretch to the limits of sight, and on every side blue-tinted mountains are cloud-swirled and mistily multi-hued; the famous Cloudy Bay label does not lie. The somewhat industrial outskirts of Blenheim flow by, and one nearly-missed turn later we're on a long, straight, featureless road heading west through the vineyards. Every sign abutting a flat plain of vines is a familiar name, a known quantity, and all too quickly the U.S. conception of New Zealand wines, so focused on Marlborough to the near-exclusion of the rest of the country, comes roaring back to mind. Just before we arrive at Renwick, the second town to bracket the bulk of Marlborough's vignoble, we arrive at our destination, The Vintner's Retreat.
Such luxury! These are timeshares, or at least they're intended to be, and they're relatively expensive by New Zealand standards ($100/night). For this one receives: a garage, a two-car driveway, a washer and dryer, a massive living room with satellite service and a full range of audiovisual electronics, a large and fully-equipped kitchen, two lavish bedrooms, two bathrooms (one with a whirlpool tub), an open-style dining room for ten, a vine-covered patio (with table and grill) looking out over Huia's vineyards towards the Richmond Range, and maid service. We paid more than this in Petaluma, California for a dirty and smelly room surrounded by hookers and factories.
Worried (with good reason, it turns out) about early closings, we're quickly back in the car in search of groceries. The lure of the local is too much to resist, and at a rather elaborate supermarket somewhere between Renwick and Blenheim (closer to the latter), we assemble ingredients for the next two evening's meals, plus some assorted accompaniments and diversions for breakfast and lunch. Back at the condo, Theresa whips up an incredible meal of green-lipped mussels in a garlic, saffron, and butter sauce. The intensity and succulence of the flavors are almost beyond belief; if there's a better way to vacation, I can't imagine what it is.
Pegasus Bay 2002 Riesling (Waipara) – Full and chalky, with mineral-driven red apple and a light sweetness that wasn't apparent in the 1999 I tasted at the winery. The minerality has a crystalline texture that makes the overall impression somewhat sugary, but this remains a fruit-driven and very nice wine with just enough rocky spine to interest riesling fans. Much improved over the '99, and really quite well done.
Bargain blow-drying
Hands across New Zealand
The next morning is rainy and fog-shrouded, though it threatens a good deal more than it provides. Theresa's in the mood for a day of quiet relaxation at the villa, and so I depart for a day of solo wine tasting. I start with the intention of aggressively hitting vineyard after vineyard, but the Marlborough vibe is so laid-back that it's impossible to keep up much of a pace. And anyway, I'm expected home for lunch.
First up is Seresin, a winery that would be impossible to find without a map and/or a knowledge of the label design; there are no signs, as such, just large standing stones with the winery's handprint logo. It's rather artsy, though not unexpected from a winery owned by a filmmaker. I pull into an empty parking lot at the hilltop winery from which some odd collection of Neil Diamond's greatest hits is blaring, and taste what's available (they're sold out of a few standard offerings):
Seresin 2001 Riesling (Marlborough) – Very dry and steely, with a long, minerally finish. Varietally-correct, flaw-free, but it lacks…something.
Seresin 2002 Pinot Gris (Marlborough) – Dry pear and chalk, long and intense. Much more impressive here than in tastings of previous vintages in the States. Either things have improved dramatically, it's the 2002 vintage, or shipping damage is a major issue. Probably both.
Seresin 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – Like many New Zealand sauvignon blancs, this includes some blended semillon (8%, in this case). Grassy and green pepper with good intensity and green apple, turning to tangy lime on a long finish. This, in contrast to the previous wine, strikes me as not as good as it used to be.
Seresin 2001 Chardonnay (Marlborough) – 70% wild yeast-fermented, 30% in stainless steel, and 50% malolactic. Peach, pear and tangerine with cashew and hazelnut, long and balanced by great acidity. I don't know if it's the wild yeast or the judicious barrel treatment, but there's real complexity and promise here.
Seresin 2000 Chardonnay "Reserve" (Marlborough) – 90% wild yeast-fermented, spending 10-17 months in non-new wood, and then given some bottle aging before release. Subtle at first, showing cashew, apple, and mushroom, but still rather stuffy on the nose. It's more generous on the palate, with a recapitulation of the aromas followed by cinnamon, nutmeg and butterscotch, and fairly well-balanced underneath the barrel spice. Still, this is somewhat oak-dominated at the moment, and needs some time, though I wonder if the oak treatment, as gentle as it is in objective terms, might still be a bit too much for this wine.
A handy rock
Seresin 2001 Sauvignon Blanc "Maramá" (Marlborough) – This is a wild yeast-fermented sauvignon, a much talked-about trend still in the zygote stage here in Marlborough, but one worth watching. Lush gooseberry, lime, grapefruit, and orange rind aromas; soft yet full-bodied and rather interesting. Barrique aging files the edges, and with enough air comes to dominate the fruit, but if they're right about the balance of this wine, it should age nicely. And if not, it'll be oak soup.
I'm sad the pinot noir isn't on offer, as it was one of the first decent examples widely available in the Boston area (and thus one of the first wines to introduce me to the promise of Kiwi pinot), but the wines that are available give me pause. There's some clear improvement over previous tastings in the States, as with the pinot gris and the chardonnay, but there's also a diminished intensity that I find worrisome. Intensity is something Marlborough does easily and well, and it seems misguided to fight it, especially with the other major change in evidence here: a casual willingness to employ small, new wood. It remains to be seen whether Seresin will find a proper balance between the tow, or instead follow the easy money of making internationalized, anonymous goop.
Hunter's season
If Seresin is quiet and somewhat lonely, Hunter's is anything but. Set up for tourists outside and in- (and a good thing, too, as an eager but somewhat clueless and more than occasionally rude busload of American tourists arrives on my heels, staring at proffered tasting portions of wine as if they were chemical weapons and just generally acting like classless buffoons), here is a bit of the "old" Marlborough, or as old as anything can be in a region that has yet to complete its third decade. A shady parking lot adjacent to a block of pergola-trained vines accesses a garden path – rather darkened on this gloomy day – that leads to a restaurant and the ultra-austere, warehouse-like tasting room. Jane Hunter, the managing director and sole namesake, is on hand and starts up a brief conversation, but her attention is soon diverted by the teeming tourists, and so I slip to the side of the tasting table and do my sipping and spitting in self-imposed silence.
Hunter's 1998 Brut (Marlborough) – Frothy red apple and soft lilac in a bubbly of significant intensity.
Hunter's 2000 Chardonnay (Marlborough) – Sweet kiwifruit and succulent peach and pear, balanced with traces of vanilla but soft and a touch light on the acid.
Hunter's 2001 Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay Spring Creek Vineyard (Marlborough) – Odd and shy. Not a happy marriage at all. Blessedly short and extremely icky.
Yes, that is what it looks like
Hunter's 2001 Sauvignon Blanc "Winemaker's Selection" (Marlborough) – Soft, watery rosemary with a void on the finish. I suspect a brief barrel treatment was more than enough to kill this wine.
Hunter's 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – Softly herbal lime and green apple with a strawberry core, gooseberry, and a little classic cat pee. Long, acidic, and drying on the finish. Much better than the "Winemaker's Selection."
Hunter's 2002 Riesling (Marlborough) – Watery rose hips and red apple with a faint touch of residual sugar. Short, light, and uninteresting.
Hunter's 2002 Gewürztraminer (Marlborough) – Slightly sweet lychee, peach, pear, and salty minerals; chuggable and friendly. I walk out with a bottle of this and the Brut, and both are consumed within the week.
Hunter's 2002 Breidecker (Marlborough) – OK, here's a unique one. Breidecker is a müller-thurgau/seibel (chancellor) hybrid specifically designed for New Zealand. Sweet white plum and sweet green apple that turns candied on the finish; this tastes like yet another grape where all the benefits are in the vineyard, and none are in the glass. It's not unpleasant by any means, but neither is it something to seek out once the curiosity has passed.
Hunter's 2002 "Rosé" (Marlborough) – Rosé of what? I don't know, and I don't get the opportunity to ask. More importantly, I'm not moved to find out. Strawberry styrofoam with a gross, synthetic sweetness.
Hunter's 2001 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) – Flat and too soft, showing dirty paper and graphite. Uninteresting.
Hunter's 2000 "Estate Red" (Marlborough) – A spicy blend of vanilla-scented blueberry and a smooth, arboreal sort of woodsiness reminiscent of many Portuguese reds. Nice enough, but too soft. I'm sensing a trend.
Hunter's 2000 Merlot (Marlborough) – Mushy nose with the sort of medicinal, herbal blueberry common to underripe merlots everywhere. Longer and more structured on the finish than I'd anticipate, which I guess shows some potential for a wine that needs to be a bit riper. But again, there's a muting softness here that kills any potential excitement.
In retrospect, it's a good thing Jane Hunter's too busy to chat; what could I say after such a disappointing lineup? The mistakes (though I suppose they could easily be choices) behind so many soft, innocuous wines are not immediately obvious; overly-aggressive filtering would be one possibility, but not the only one. In any case, these wines are mostly dull, and I'm happy to return to the Vintner's Retreat for lunch. On my way out, a busload of extremely attractive young women files past me and towards the tasting room. Perhaps the problem is just that I arrived too early.
Cloudy grapes, but where's the bay?
Theresa's fully relaxed after a stroll through the surrounding vineyards and a day spent reading magazines and writing in her travel journal, and for lunch we finish off the lingering culinary bounty of Central Otago, Westland, and Canterbury with a bottle from the former:
Carrick 2001 Pinot Noir (Central Otago) – This wasn't poured at the winery's tasting room, though it was for sale. Strawberry and violet-hued scents turn darker and more serious on the palate, with blueberry, black cherry, and plum graced with hints of lilac and that tangy core of orange peel that frequently seems to mark Central Otago pinots. A bit short and soft on the finish, but still quite pretty inside its delicate structure.
Theresa shows little interest in either tourism or wine tasting, and once more retires to the patio with a glass of wine and a journal. I take the hint and skedaddle for a distant tasting room.
There's something about Maria
To actually taste the full lineup at Villa Maria would take more time than I have, and in any case the full lineup isn't on offer. Nonetheless, what I taste takes much less time than I anticipate, thanks to an empty tasting room and the efficient assistance of VM's Marlborough winemaker George Geris' wife.
Villa Maria's rather stately Marlborough operation (the business is actually based near Auckland) takes on the manner of a modern country estate, though in practice the building and approach are much friendlier than that. They're set up for large groups in a spacious tasting room, but despite their international reputation the focus in and around the winery is clearly and firmly on wine, without the frills.
As for the wines themselves, there are three basic levels. The "Private Bin" line is the lower-end product, everyday wines for value-oriented drinking. The "Cellar Selection" line is simultaneously a little more directed and a little more terroir-dependent, and also a little more expensive. Finally, the "Reserve" designation is just that: reserved for the top end, the top prices (though here, "top" isn't all that high), and the supposed best expressions of the winemaker's skill. It's a nice idea in theory. In practice, amidst a deluge of bottles, it becomes easy to forget which label or tier is which, and confusion is inevitable.
Villa Maria 2002 Riesling "Cellar Selection" (Marlborough) – Solid and intense, showing wet celery and long, light sweetness. Reliable, quaffable, neither exciting nor dull.
Villa Tony is next door
Villa Maria 2002 Sauvignon Blanc "Private Bin" (Marlborough) – All gooseberry, lively and touched by spice. Reliable, and that's why it sells so well.
Villa Maria 2002 Sauvignon Blanc "Cellar Selection" (Marlborough) – More intense than the "Private Bin," showing a riper fruit core dominated by crisp green apple.
Villa Maria 2002 Sauvignon Blanc Wairau Valley "Reserve" (Marlborough) – Lush and much fruitier, showing ripe grapefruit and vanilla notes. This is very good Marlborough sauvignon, but perhaps at this intensity level it could use a bit more structure.
Villa Maria 2002 Pinot Gris "Cellar Selection" (Marlborough) – Pretty, sweet and lightly spicy Bosc pear. Good but forgettable.
Villa Maria 2002 Gewürztraminer "Private Bin" (Marlborough) – Lush with flowers and perfume, supported by good acidity, but turning rather abruptly to flatness on the finish. Odd.
Villa Maria 2001 Chardonnay "Reserve" (Marlborough) – (Note that Villa Maria makes several "Reserve"-level chardonnays; this is the straight Marlborough bottling.) Smooth spice box (dominated by nutmeg and clove) with lightly extractive qualities; very New World in conception, but less forceful than that paradigm.
Villa Maria 2001 Pinot Noir "Reserve" (Marlborough) – Spiced earth, black cherry, plum, and a graphite quality in the structural tannin that I just love no matter where I find it. Good stuff.
Villa Maria 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot "Cellar Selection" (Hawke's Bay) – Blueberry and blackberry, earthy and deep but a little fluffy.
Villa Maria 2000 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon "Cellar Selection" (Marlborough) – (The different varietal order means a different dominant partner, in case anyone's wondering.) Blueberry and graphite, structured and long; I'm rather surprised, and would have expected the Hawke's Bay blend to "win" this little contest. But this is the one I'd buy of the two. Quite nice.
Disneywine
Villa Maria 2000 Merlot "Reserve" (Marlborough) – Chocolate-covered blueberry and walnut, nice and extremely structured, though on the finish the tannin starts to take over. Good, but deserves a watchful eye on future development as the tannin could easily outlast the fruit.
Villa Maria 2002 "Late Harvest" Pinot Gris "Cellar Selection" (Marlborough) – Light pear, peach, and spiced banana aromas with a soft, medium-short finish. Eh.
Villa Maria 2001 "Noble" Riesling "Reserve" (Marlborough) – Lush, malic/apple-crisped grapey fruit, with salted celery and iron filings turning to black pepper on the finish. It sounds odd, but this is a striking dessert wine, and I'm extremely taken with it. The tasting room offers little verticals of it, and that's what I finally walk away with.
Like most wine-drinking Americans, I'm really only well-acquainted with the bargain end of the Villa Maria empire. Thus, the more "serious" wines are, for the most part, a delightful surprise; big winery expectations aside, they do some very good work here. The Marlborough reds, especially, seem well-ripened and mature (not in age, but in experience) in a region where worthwhile reds aren't always that easy to produce. My hostess tells me that her husband is a great fan of Alsace, and wants to really focus on that end of their Marlborough portfolio (including what she calls "Alsatian-style winemaking," which I hope means drier styles rather than rampant chaptalization). We'll see what this brings, because it's true that the Alsatian grapes in this tasting were the country bumpkin cousins of the much more evolved sauvignons, chardonnays, and reds.
The food bank
Blenheim, the town, is a little hard to understand. There's a heavily-designed (one might easily say over-designed) town center that seems almost Disney-esque, with trendy shops and markets under vivid but artsy blue railings. It's also nearly desolate on this Sunday afternoon, which makes its bright conviviality a little eerie. On the fringes of its theme-parkish "Marlboroughland" are some more casual and familiar (and working) businesses – restaurants, cafés, stores – surrounded by the usual cutesy suburban landscape. However, it's impossible to lose sight of the surrounding mountains, now lit up with greens and golds in the low-angled sunlight, and I spend a few moments just staring into the distance.
On the way home, I stop at a Matt Donaldson-recommended shop, Savour, isolated to the north of Blenheim and just about to close up for the afternoon. Nearly all of vinous Marlborough is represented in this slick retail establishment with its attached restaurant, as are foodstuffs both local and national, and I can't resist a wedge of wild goat pâté before returning to the villa for a little post-tasting rest.
Back in Blenheim, this time with Theresa roused from her day of rest and relaxation, we stroll around Seymour Square's war memorial clock tower and fountain, peaceful and quiet on a cool evening, before heading down Queen Street to a formidable looking white-pillared bank. This is the d'Urville, recommended to us by more wine and food lovers than any other place in New Zealand.
Blessedly Norah-free
The d'Urville is mostly a hotel, with extravagantly-designed thematic rooms, but there are also a bar and a rather casual-hip restaurant done in sleek, modern lines. Norah Jones, not yet the multi-Grammy-winning star she will become, is as easily-ignored as she meekly warbles from overhead speakers, and we settle down with just two or three other couples (locals, judging by the customer/staff banter) for a quiet dinner.
Theresa's not that hungry, and so there's a lot of sharing and nibbling from my three courses: a twice-baked Parmigiano Reggiano soufflé (hot and firm), followed by a wonderfully herbal ballotine of duck accompanied by a pastry stuffed with duck confit and buttery leeks. It's a terrific dish. Dessert is an orange/peach "gateau" with orange sauce and a New Zealand specialty: manuka honey ice cream, a perfect blend of the natural and the sweet.
Service is excellent, efficient and quiet, in a style we've come to recognize as an ideal blend of European and Kiwi sensibilities. With dinner, we choose from a most worthy wine list what might be the most extraordinary bottle of wine we'll taste on this trip.
Fromm "La Strada" 2000 Pinot Noir Clayvin Vineyard (Marlborough) – To call this wine "Burgundian" is to imply a certain range of characteristics: earth as much or more than fruit, lighter body, crisper acidity. And though I'd like to call this wine Burgundian, I'd do so for a different reason: it has a slow-developing, rolling, gently pulsating series of complexities that emerge, fade, and re-emerge in the best wines of the Côte d'Or in a way that they do nowhere else. Because, ultimately, this really doesn't taste much like a Burgundy. Rich, earthy and succulent, full of red cherry, raspberry, strawberry and anise with subtle, graphite-textured tannin and a long, piercing and focused finish of incredible flavor and elegance. An "elegant" New World wine that is clearly and unmistakably New World. This is a masterpiece.
An excellent espresso finishes off a most enjoyable dinner. But there's the faintest hint of bitterness in the dregs; tomorrow begins our last week in New Zealand. We'll have to make the most of it.
![[whale ribs]](http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics/whale_ribs.jpg)
![[Theresa at Kaikoura]](http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics/theresa_kaikoura_beach.jpg)
![[Thor at Kaikoura]](http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics/thor_kaikoura_beach.jpg)
![[Seresin]](http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics/seresin_rock.jpg)
![[Richmond Range]](http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics/richmond_range_clouds.jpg)
![[Wairau Valley vines]](http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics/marlborough_vines_clouds.jpg)
![[Villa Maria]](http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics/villa_maria_sign.jpg)
![[Blenheim]](http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics/blenheim_blue_railings.jpg)
![[d'Urville interior]](http://www.durville.com/media/foodandwine/photo_restaurant.jpg)