New Zealand Wine: Marlborough – Part 2

On the second half of our Marlborough trip, we went to Fromm winery and then visited the legendary Cloudy Bay.

At Fromm, we were received by chief winemaker Hatsch Kalberer and general manager William Hoare. The first interview in this video takes place with William in Fromm's Syrah vineyards. Fromm is one of the few estates in Marlborough still planting Syrah. James was intrigued by this and asked William, “Why Syrah?” One of the initial motivations for planting Syrah is that they found the soil in this area – composed of layers of silt, gravel and clay – to be very similar to that of the Rhône Valley.

However, Marlborough, with its relatively cool climate, has a very constant and structured growing season. Between flowering and picking there can be a margin of 140 days, William notes. This allows for the fruit to slowly ripen, adding structure and balance to the wines. “It is a great place to grow grapes,” he states.

After spending some time in the vineyards, James headed to the winery to meet with winemaker Hatsch Kalberer. Hatsch explained that Syrah is one of the varieties that seems to do very well every year: “It doesn't get alcoholic, it dosen't get overripe.” Speaking of Marlborough Pinot Noirs, Hatsch added that of all Pinot-producing regions in NZ, Marlborough's are the most generous.

When asked about Fromm's Pinots, Hatsch described them as concentrated and balanced. He explained that there is a cliché about how NZ wines should taste. At Fromm, they are trying to move away from this cliché, not by deliberately trying to make different wines, but by interfering as little as possible with what comes from the vineyard. 

After visiting Fromm, we drove to the legendary Cloudy Bay vineyards, one of the pioneering estates in creating the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc movement. There we were received by viticulturist Jim White and by winemaker Nick Blampied-Lane.

The first interview took place in Cloudy Bay’s vineyards with Jim, who spoke about the ripe and full-bodied style that characterizes the winery. He also commented on how slow ripening in New Zealand not only helps create a distinctive and intense flavor, but also retains wonderful acidity.

After the vineyard, James and Jim sat down with winemaker Nick Blampied-Lane to taste some wine. When asked about the Cloudy Bay style, Nick said that for them, concentration is crucial, as well as maintaining the intense aromas that characterize Marlborough Sauvignon.

Watch the video for the full story. Enjoy! 

-JGAL