James has called Clayvin one of New Zealand’s most beautiful vineyards. It is a remarkable, certified organic vineyard situated in the Southern Valleys of Marlborough. Modeled after the great vineyards of Burgundy and certified by BioGro New Zealand, it covers 13.4 hectares of north-facing slopes with clay-based soils. The site is densely planted at 5,000 vines per hectare – well above the regional average of 2,000 to 2,500 – and features a diverse array of clones and rootstocks. Plantings include 7.8 hectares of pinot noir, 3.36 hectares of chardonnay, and one hectare of syrah. This low-yielding, meticulously farmed vineyard consistently produces wines of complexity and concentration.
James had a dream of making wines at Clayvin, so he asked Associate Editor Ryan Montgomery if he could organize it with the teams at Clayvin as well as Vavasour, where their wines are now made. They bought two tons of chardonnay, primarily Wente clone, which is commonly referred to as Mendoza in New Zealand. Ryan’s winemaking background includes experience at Burgundy’s Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Bordeaux’s Château Smith Haut Lafitte, and Cathiard Vineyard in Napa Valley.
On the morning of March 10, James, Ryan, and a team of pickers harvested the two tons of chardonnay. While a portion of the fruit showed signs of botrytis, mildew and hail damage, affected clusters were carefully sorted and discarded in the field. The remaining fruit was transported to Vavasour Winery and gently pressed whole bunch. The juice was then fermented in a new Mercury 500-liter puncheon as well as some older French oak 228-liter barriques, on full solids. The chemistry was exactly what they aimed for, with no additions required. The wine will spend nine months in barrel, where it will undergo malolactic fermentation before being racked to tank and bottled.