Morton+Wines

1999 vintage shapes up The summer of 1999/99 was long, hot and dry. Farmers despaired, teenagers were glued to the beach, and sitting under a cool tree with a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc was a rare pleasure. At Morten Estate’s Riverview and Colefield vineyards – overlooking Hawks Bays Ngaruroro River – and further south at Stone Creek in Marlborough, an excellent vintage was shaping up. With plenty of sun to ripen the grapes, combined with irrigation systems to ensure the vines had just the right amount of water, conditions were ideal for a great crop. The long, hot summer was the driest on record, ideal for producing exceptional grapes. The quality and yield of the fruit were the best in 10 years and the grapes were in excellent condition. The wine is already tasting exceptionally well as it matures in oak barrels at the Katikati winery. New wines in the pipeline Look out for some new wines coming out soon. Within the next month, we’ll be releasing our individual Vineyard Series, starting with our 1999 Riverview Chardonnay and 1999 Colefield Sauvignon Blanc. A new red is in the works – our 1999 The Mercure is part of our White Label range, and is a blend of classic French varieties, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Our 1996 White Label Chardonnay is proving so popular after winning Gold in the Liquorland Top 100, we’ve had to bring forward the release date for the 1999 vintage. This excellent wine has an intense, well-balanced bouquet with aromas of melon and fig, complemented by toasty vanillan aromas from barrel fermentation and aging in French oak barriques. Sounds great, but what does it mean? Wine tasters love to talk about wine but they often use confusing terms. Becoming familiar with some of these terms can help you understand a wines characteristics, making tasting easier and more fun. Here are a few of the common terms used to describe wine. Buttery – A description of the rich flavour and smoothness of texture often contributed by malo-lactic fermentation. The effect is similar to the oiliness and flavour of butter and in fact involves the flavour compounds found in butter. Many Chardonnays are said to have buttery aromas and flavours. Tannins – A natural component found to varying degrees in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes. It is most prominent in red wines, where it can create a dry, puckering sensation. Tannins mellow with age and drop out of the wine to form sediment, a major component in the structure of red wines. Body – The mixture of fruitiness and alcohol. Light-bodied wine is crisp with a low alcohol content, full-bodied wine is high in alcohol and fruity. Wine – not only for your pleasure The idea of drinking wine regularly and in moderation for your health, is not new. Since Biblical times, great thinkers, saints and scientists have all praised the benefits of wine, and even the Bible makes references to the value of wine for health and enjoyment. The Middle Ages saw spirituality and knowledge confined to monasteries, where wines were grown and the benefits of their juices studied. In the 18th century, wine was prescribed as an antibiotic and Louis Pasteur declared it to be the most hygienic and healthy of beverages. However, scientific proof of theory has been lacking until recently. A French survey of 34,000 men between 1978 and 1993 found that those who drank two or three glasses of wine per day had a 30 percent lower mortality rate due to heart disease, than those who didn’t drink at all or were heavy drinkers. It’s all to do with the tannins, alcohol, red grape skins, wine-based antioxidants and other naturally occurring compounds in wine. These were found to reduce clotting in the arteries, increase good cholesterol and reduce bad cholesterol. So the next time you toast your health, make sure it’s with a glass of wine! Wines stand out for quality and value While New Zealand’s top athletes were competing for medals in Kuala Lumpur. Morten Estate wines have been gathering their own share of medals. The gold medals awarded by top wine judges in London and locally, endorse Morten Estate’s commitment to producing wines of outstanding quality. September was, if you’ll excuse the pun, a vintage month for Morten Estate. Firstly we heard that our 1996 Black Label Hawkes Bay Chardonnay had gained a gold medal the International Wine Challenge in London. Our wine stood out amongst the 7,500 wines entered in the Challenge – the largest number ever in a wine competition. It followed our win last year of the Chardonnay Trophy for our 1995 Black Label Hawkes Bay Chardonnay. Then we heard that our 1996 White Label Hawkes Bay Chardonnay had won gold in the Liquorland Top 100 Competition for 1999. The judges of the Liquorland Top 100 Competition also liked our 1996 White Label Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and our Morten Brut Methode Champenoise, awarding them both silver. Our 1999 White Label Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc gained a bronze to round out an exceptional showing at these awards. This competition is New Zealand’s largest and is only open to wines that are commercially available on the local market. The Top 100 wines are selected to represent the best in quality wine making and value for money. Following the competition, the wines will be prominently displayed in Liquorland outlets. These awards recognise Morten Estate’s commitment to producing top quality wines at affordable prices. From the viticulturist Establishing the vineyard The vineyard calendar is very definitive, ranging from the early spring growth, through vintage, to final winter dormancy. In this newsletter, we will cover each of these stages. However, before doing so it is important to understand that to create a new vineyard requires considerable planning, quite often as long as two years before the first vine is planted. Establishing a new vineyard requires answers to some fundamental questions before the finer details are looked at. Questions such as which variety are we going to grow, where will it grow best and more importantly, are we going to be able to sell it? Once those questions are answered, the search for a suitable site can get underway. With the parameters set, it is a matter of finding the most suitable vineyard site. The three major factors to look at first are climate, soil and the availability of water for irrigation. Climate information for a particular site can often be obtained from neighbours who may have kept records, although these are sometimes not too accurate. Climatic factors to consider include the danger of frost, rainfall and the risk of too many wet days or fog which can cause late season rot. The general warmth of the site is an important factor – is it exposed to cold prevailing winds, that could result in a poor fruit set and cause difficulty with ripening? Soils have a strong impact on the vine’s performance and subsequent wine style. The range of soils, particularly in Hawkes Bay, is extremely varied. Traditionally, certain grape varieties perform better on certain soil types. For example, Merlot performs well on cooler clay soils. However in New Zealand Merlot is also grown on lighter shingle soils. Each soil type produces a wine of quite different style. This is all part of the selection process. If the choice is the lighter soils, then it will be important to have access to water for irrigation, either from deep underground wells or a large river. The influences of soil and climate on a vineyard can broadly be described as terroir, a word used in France to describe the general influences of weather and soil on a vineyard. Often before the final site selection is made, the vines have already been selected. The propagation programme would have started the previous year, allowing time for the selection of bud and rootstock wood, grafting and the growing of the young vines in a nursery. Other considerations during the previous year are the sourcing of good quality air-dried posts. To ensure supply, orders need to be placed a year ahead. Consideration needs to be given to water rights and other environmental and socio-economic impacts, such as sourcing sufficient labour, the impact of a vineyard on the neighbours and the proximity to other essential services. Eventually all the decisions fall together and the commitment is made. A vineyard in the right location will last for many generations. The initial planning, even though it may take two or more years, is so vitally important. Second chances when it comes to establishing a vineyard are heartbreaking and costly. From the winemaker The flavour of oak Barriques, hogsheads, puncheons, heavy toast, light toast, French, American, Allier, Nevers, Vosges, barrique ferment, lees stirring – these are some of the many confusing terms we see in wine descriptions with reference to oak. But what do they mean and why do winemakers use oak anyway? Oak barrels are used in winemaking for three main reasons: To impart oak flavour To enhance maturation As storage vessels The latter is of less relevance in this modern age of stainless steel tanks, which have the advantages of being cheaper and easier to maintain than barrels. Oak flavour is an important component of many wine styles. Almost all red wines will have some oak flavour, while the use of oak in white wines is mainly restricted to a few varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The main influences that dictate the flavour an oak barrel will impart to the wine are: Source of the timber Just as Sauvignon Blanc grown in New Zealand tastes different to that grown in Australia, so too do the flavours of oak vary depending on the country and the climate in which the trees are grown. The conditions within the forest also affect the oak flavour. For example, the French forests of Allier, Nevers, Limousin and Vosges, all have different climatic conditions and soils, which can influence the flavour. The cooper The cooper, or barrel-maker can also influence the flavour. The cooper can season, or air-dry, the timber with the impact on resultant flavours depending on the length of seasoning (2-3 years), temperature and humidity. Firing of the timber required to bend the staves influences flavour. Extra firing results in “toasting” of the oak, which gives rise to other more complex flavours and aromas. Barrel size In general, smaller barrels give better oak flavour due to the greater oak surface to wine ratio. The European industry standard barrel is a barrique, which holds 225 litres (Bordeaux) or 228 litres (Burgundy). Most barrels used in New Zealand are of this size, while in Australia the 300 litre hogshead has proved to be the most popular size. While barrels are water tight vessels, they are not airtight and allow a slow, progressive exchange of oxygen with the wine, which allows the wine to mature and develop the esters and flavours associated with age. The winemaker The way the barrel is used, as determined by each individual winemaker, will influence the impact of oak flavour. Fermentation of white wine in oak gives a much more integrated and harmonious marriage of the oak and wine flavours than putting the wine onto oak after fermentation. Aging of white wine, with the fermentation yeast lees left in the barrel, imparts more fullness and body than when the wine is put into the barrel clean. These lees can be periodically stirred to re-suspend the yeast in the wine and so enhance the contribution of mouthfeel to the wine. A salutary thought – French oak barriques currently cost New Zealand winemakers about $1,300 each. They hold 225 litres or 300 bottles of wine. If used only once, they will contribute $4.34 per bottle to the cost of making the wine. This is why good wine make in good wood will never be low in price.