Standing behind the table and pouring wine at a consumer table has to be one of the more thankless tasks in the entire wine industry. In addition to the classic salesmen promoting their winery’s portfolio, this front line of wine promotion is often manned by representatives of marketing associations designed to shine a light on the wines of a particular country or appellation. As a fan of New Zealand and Australian wines, I often deal with the government organizations that are charged with introducing their country’s wines to the US market.
David Strada is the man on the frontlines for New Zealand Winegrowers and is often found at consumer wine events focused on pinot noir… Which is where I found him last weekend manning a table at the annual World of Pinot confab in Santa Barbara. As in previous events like these, David brings along an assortment of currently released Kiwi pinots from various regions (the 2014 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir from the Bendigo subregion of Central Otago was most impressive). But it’s always good to check out his selection as he often makes a point of pulling a bottle or two with a bit of bottle age and he did not disappoint with a 2009 Ostler “Caroline’s” Pinot Noir that piqued my interest.
The pursuit of limestone-laden soils by pinot noir producers has a long and well-established history. Naturally occurring in Burgundy, New World pinot enthusiasts have had to do the hard yards to go out and find the stuff. The search for limestone soils provided the foundation story behind Josh Jensen’s Calera Winery back in the 1970s. In New Zealand, the limestone influence is easily found in the Weka Pass subregion just north of Christchurch where Bell Hill and Pyramid Valley have both made some compelling wines that reflect their soils.
The latest focus in New Zealand for the limestone inclined is the remote Waitaki Valley where vines were first planted in 2001. The region is a few hours east of Central Otago where the exceedingly marginal climate makes it difficult to grow grapes. Indeed, the region has already seen numerous wineries pull out of the region because of low yields and the expenses incurred by growing grapes in such an isolated area. Today, Waitaki is largely planted by small, independent growers, larger outfits having decided the risk of frost and inconsistent yields make it too risky to.
The chalky minerality that can come from limestone soils was easy to notice in the first pinots noirs from Waitaki and those wines immediately garnered considerable recognition. But coming from the 2004 vintage and from very young vines, the palates were also a bit attenuated and lacked the fruitweight to balance the intense mineral-laced spine and tannins.
That was not the case with later vintages as wines from brands like Valli and Forrest began to justify the hype. Clearly, a bit of vine age helped out the wines here. And thanks to a great write-up from Matt Kramer in the Wine Spectator, the 2010 Ostler “Caroline” Pinot Noir, got some sales traction in the US market. At the time (the spring of 2013), it was markedly better than the previous vintage, especially if you were preferred that haunting limestone scent and texture in your pinot.
But what a difference a few years makes. That ripe and clunky ’09 Ostler had softened and revealed a pretty elegance that must have been buried under the fuller-bodied wine of a few years ago. More elegant, even ethereal in texture, the limestone element was clearly in play now and the wine was all the better for it. But most importantly, I was glad I gave that wine a second chance and so I must take this opportunity to say thanks to those who provide them. Thanks, David!
VINROADS 