Spring Release 2001
2001 An early and overall cool, wet Spring boosted vineyard growth and the prospects for a year with similar characteristics to the previous season. By early December the conditions were unseasonably warm and flowering commenced in almost prefect conditions resulting in good crop levels for all varieties. In contrast to the previous season, conditions then became very dry leaving the vines with full canopies but under some drought stress by the time 'veraison' (when flavours and sugar start to accumulate) was reached. The ripening period was extended for some varieties by this drought stress, and a feature of the vintage was the atypical ripening pattern - resulting in fully ripe phenolics, more floral flavours and markedly lower alcohols in what are nevertheless ripe wine styles.
- Chardonnay 2000
The wine follows the style of previous Dry River chardonnays. It has been made with whole bunch pressing for soft, elegant flavours, 100% barrel fermentation in French oak barrels (including approximately 30% new), and it has been left 10 months on all the lees without racking.
It is light green-gold in colour, with lifted aromas of citrus blossom and zest, quince, dried fig and roasted nuts. The palate is lively, tasting of quince, grapefruit, roasted nuts and spice, and it is creamy and textured. It should be drinking well in 2-3 years but I expect it to be a good cellaring prospect for several years beyond this.
- Arapoff Gewurztraminer 2001
This is our first commercial-sized crop off 7 & 8 year old vines. The clones planted in this block are sourced from Colmar in Alsace, and were chosen for their tendency to produce a spicy style of wine. The grapes were harvested at the end of April, cropping at about 20hL/ha (ca 1.3t/A). The final wine is light gold with an assertive, honeyed nose of rose petals, baked pineapple, toffee and fruit cake spices. The palate is quite rich and honeyed with flavours of baked pineapple, canned peach, cinnamon and ginger. As for most Gewurztraminers, this is for drinking earlier than other varieties - up to maybe 5 years, depending on the cellar.
- Pinot Noir 2000
2000 was an even lower cropping year than 1999 with yields (thanks to frosts) little more than half the previous year. The colour is similar to the '99 wine - possibly slightly lighter but still dense with a pure hue. The nose is rich, smelling of rose petal and manuka flowers, red and black berries, plums, fruit cake spices and roasted nuts. The flavours evoke similar descriptions : raspberry, black fruit and rich plum, Xmas cake spices and hints of mint. The palate is well structured with soft velvet tannins - similar to that of the 1999 wine, but with slightly more emphasis on the front palate as befits the year. I see no reason why it should not be as long lived as previous wines of the better vintages.
- Martinborough Riesling 2001
The few Martinborough Rieslings we have made have been from the fruit off younger vines, whose juice we have judged to be less phenolically ripe than what went into the Craighall Riesling. Recent retasting of these wines shows this distinction is questionable and I suspect the after cellaring the judgement with this wine will be no different.
This wine is a pale greenish straw colour with a voluminous, predominantly floral nose: apple blossom, roses and freesias, limes and a touch of talc. The palate is full, with a long aftertaste managing both richness and delicacy. The flavours follow the nose showing some of the characters of gravenstein apples, nashi pears, a touch of lime, even mandarin and talc but retaining the elegance and perfumed nuances of the nose. The wine should cellar well but will also drink well earlier than the Craighall equivalent.
- Dry River Sauvignon Blanc 2001
Our Sauvignons are cropped low by New Zealand standards - this one at 36hL/ha (ca2.1t/A) with complete fruit exposure to the light from early in the season to minimize herbaceous and vegetal flavours and provide a wine with attractive ageing qualities. Its colour is lemon-gold, and the nose shows ripe passionfruit, hints of pears and wet river stones. The palate is bone dry, but it has a slightly oily texture with powerful flavours of passionfruit, pears and white peach with a zesty citrus finish. Refreshing. These wines are normally long-lived.
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