We set off from the Nautilus hotel on the next leg of our adventure. Buoyed up by all the recent revelations of just how diverse Hawkes Bay can be we headed south for an hour to Central Hawkes Bay and the town of Waipukarau. This is the home to Max and Kate Annabell who own Pukeora estate. This was a visit like no other. Having admired the limestone crags during a cycling holiday in Burgundy, Kiwi Max and British Kate identified this as a prime viticultural spot. Thus followed the sale of a flat in West Hampstead, the purchase of an old sanatorium with 76 ares of limestone never planted to vines previously, and a family move around the world. Terraces were carved out of the hillsides, and 5.5 acres of chardonnay, pinot gris, merlot, cab sauv and a few others were planted. A real labour of love has endured and the wines bristle with a raw, direct energy and reflect the passion and charm of the owners. The old hospital acts as a wedding venue, conference centre and film set and has quite extraordinary views.
We tasted
- Pinot Gris 2013
- Chardonnay 2012
- Pinot Noir 2011
- Syrah 2010
- The Benches 2009
- Noble Semillon 2011
From Pukeora we set off to Martinborough – the renowned but very small area just north of Wellington. This area has established itself as a prime area for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and increasingly Syrah. Checking into The Claremont we headed out to Cambridge Road winery – a small 5.5 acre vineyard owned by Lance Redgwell.
What ensued was a masterclass in the understanding of terroir, vintage variation, the sublime quality of his Pinot Noirs, Pinot/Syrah blends and his pure Syrahs. Lance is a serial innovator and loves to push the boundaries of expectation and this shows through with his aged roses, truly funky whites made from a real melange of grapes and an amazing selection of reds.
We sat in the barrel cellar enjoying the most delicious home cooked salmon and lamb and just marvelled at the range and diversity of the wines.
We tasted:
- Papillon Blanc 2012 & 2013
- Papillon Rose 2013
- Arohanui 2009
- Pinot Noir 2011, 2010, 2009
- Dovetail 2011, 2010, 2008
- Syrah 2011, 2010, 2009
Tomorrow we are off to Ata Rangi- one of the original pioneers of Martinborough in the mid 1980’s, and then the ferry from North to South Island – Blenheim and Central Otago beckon…