Absolutely fascinating first day out here in Hawkes Bay.
After a leisurely guided walk around Napier where we got a great insight as to why it is the Art Deco capital of the world we headed off for our first visit.
De la Terre is run by Kaye and Tony Prichard and they created a beautiful, self built farm with livestock, a small café that will be opening soon and a very boutique wine operation. Tony used to make wine at Church Road and consults for a number of other wineries and you can see why. Tony is both a perfectionist and an innovator. Very happy to experiment and is prepared to use all available technology at his disposal.
The first half of the visit focussed on Viognier and Chardonnay.
- Viognier barrel ferment reserve 2013
- Chardonnay 2009 unoaked no malo lactic
- Chardonnay 2013 reserve
- Chardonnay 2006
- Late Harvest Viognier 2013
- Late harvest Viognier 2014
We paused for a lovely lunch sourced from Hawkes Bay artisan producers with hams, cheeses, chutneys and pickles and then moved onto the reds.
- Merlot Cabernet 2006
- Barbera 2013
- Syrah 2013
- Montepulciano 2013
- Tannat 2013
The wines are really individual interpretations and didn’t all conform to our preconceptions. We weren’t expecting a raft of Italian grapes and serves to demonstrate the diversity of Hawkes Bay. De La Terre was a an amazing place run by engaging, passionate people.