Nelson Aromatics impressing New Zealand's leading Masters of Wine
We were thrilled to read the glowing review Emma Jenkins MW and Jane Skilton MW recently published on their web site "The Independent Wine Monthly":
Nelson’s Blackenbrook Vineyard is a quintessential New Zealand producer: a small, family-owned winery, owned by nice people quietly getting on with making perfectly nice wines.
Ursula and Daniel Schwarzenbach farm 8ha of vineyards in the Moutere clays, where they produce a tidy suite of wines ranging from the expected: sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, pinot gris, gewurztraminer and chardonnay, to the slightly less expected: pinot blanc and montepulciano.
Wines are unfined and vegan-friendly. The recent release of their aromatic whites yielded a selection of competent, fruit-focused, approachable wines, showcasing 2019’s warm, sunny harvest.
Nelson’s Blackenbrook Vineyard is a quintessential New Zealand producer: a small, family-owned winery, owned by nice people quietly getting on with making perfectly nice wines.
Ursula and Daniel Schwarzenbach farm 8ha of vineyards in the Moutere clays, where they produce a tidy suite of wines ranging from the expected: sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, pinot gris, gewurztraminer and chardonnay, to the slightly less expected: pinot blanc and montepulciano.
Wines are unfined and vegan-friendly. The recent release of their aromatic whites yielded a selection of competent, fruit-focused, approachable wines, showcasing 2019’s warm, sunny harvest.
The 2019 Pinot Gris has a soft baked apple, rich ripe pear and softly spiced gingerbread, this is fruity but not overt on the nose. The palate is fruitier, medium-bodied and off-dry with a fairly delicate texture and touch of phenolics. Lacks a little acidity and freshness on the finish.
There are just 11ha of pinot blanc grown in New Zealand and not much of that is bottled as a single variety. The 2019 Pinot Blanc has a spicy nose akin to pinot gris but with more stonefruit than treefruit. A juicy palate, quite broad and ripe, with a clean, dry, slightly savoury finish.
The 2019 Gewurztraminer has a richly aromatic with rose petals, Turkish Delight and quince. A little hoppy too. The off-dry palate is more delicate than nose would lead you to expect, pear-drop and Turkish Delight with light phenolics on the finish.
Read the article here.
There are just 11ha of pinot blanc grown in New Zealand and not much of that is bottled as a single variety. The 2019 Pinot Blanc has a spicy nose akin to pinot gris but with more stonefruit than treefruit. A juicy palate, quite broad and ripe, with a clean, dry, slightly savoury finish.
The 2019 Gewurztraminer has a richly aromatic with rose petals, Turkish Delight and quince. A little hoppy too. The off-dry palate is more delicate than nose would lead you to expect, pear-drop and Turkish Delight with light phenolics on the finish.
Read the article here.
"Ever since first meeting at a wine tasting dinner in the Swiss Alps, Daniel and Ursula Schwarzenbach had the dream of planting their own vineyard in New Zealand, building a winery and marketing the wine under the Blackenbrook label.