Passion for Pinot

By Anthony Gismondi published in Avenue Magazine USA , 22 May 2010

At the inaugural New Zealand pinot conference in 2001, it was suggested by the Kiwis that 50 percent of what passes for pinot noir in the world likely wasn’t worth drinking. Based on that premise, the goal of Kiwi producers was to replace that segment of the market with something eminently more drinkable — and from New Zealand.

After attending Pinot Noir 2010 earlier this year, it was clear to me the original objective established less than a decade ago has been accomplished, if not surpassed. However, you wouldn’t know it shopping in Canadian wine shops, where expensive, dreary pinot dies hard. But a change is coming and it is thanks to New Zealand pinot growers.

The heartbreak grape is grown in several areas of New Zealand, including Canterbury and its sub-region, Waipara on the border between Otago and Canterbury; Martinborough at the southern end of the North Island; Marlborough at the northern end of the South Island; and, finally, perhaps the most famous of all, Central Otago, near the southern reaches of South Island.

“Central,” as the locals refer to it (not that you hear anything about an Upper or Lower Otago), is home to some of the most amazingly delicious and decadent pinot noir on the planet. It’s grown on or about the 45th latitude, making it the southernmost grape-growing region in the world. The same latitude in the Northern Hemisphere puts one in Piedmont, the southern Rhône, Bordeaux’s southern Haut-Medoc and Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Like most New World wine regions, the first Central grapes were planted long ago ­— 1864, to be specific — but nothing much happened for the next century. In fact, the first commercial vintage never left Gibbston Valley winery until 1987, but it’s been nothing but nose to the grindstone for the region’s growing number of producers ever since, and the results are, well, simply amazing.

Geographically, Central Otago hits all the right pinot buttons. There is significant variation between day and night temperature, often falling from 28 to 33°C down to 5 to 10°C, to retain acidity and build flavour complexity. Central is somewhat continental in climate, but never being too far from the ocean reduces its threat of frosts. Of course, there is the long hang time, where ripe pinot can hang in a dry environment (disease-free), furthering complexity and developing flavour.

Low rainfall keeps the leaching effect low, leading to a good level of mineral compounds, and it keeps organic growth low, too. The result is a soil low in vigour, yet high in mineral richness. The Kiwis are quick to point out what makes Central special is strikingly similar to what is so special about Burgundy and Oregon pinot noir. And when it comes to terroir, Central Otago is equally blessed with sites that go from schist rocks to a fine flour and layers of loess mixed with river gravels. The combinations are mind-boggling, as are the opportunities to create complexity.

The Central Otago moniker is growing worldwide, though the area is made up of a series of subregions, each developing its own idiosyncrasies of flavours. But it is the rich, showy, plush-fruited, spicy pinots with elegance that are attracting worldwide attention from pinot noir lovers. In the years to come, the subregions of Wanaka, Lowburn, Bendigo, Alexandra, Gibbston and Bannockburn will be as well known as Burgundy’s Beaune, Volnay or Nuits-St.-Georges appellations.

© Central Otago Pinot Noir | Web design by Accede | Contact COPNL