The walk down the concourse at Wellington's domestic airport to the commuter planes, linking the bottom of the North Island to the top of the South, was long. And as we left the shelter of the terminal to walk across the tarmac to the plane, Wellington lived up to its name of the 'Windy City'. The southerly blasted into out faces and we staggered forward, trying to stay between the blue guidelines, to reach the shelter of the 15-seater aircraft.

The low clouds surrounding the Wellington hills continued out over the Strait and we rode the bumps as we ascended. As the weather started to clear, the peaks of the hills forming the walls of the Marlborough Sounds came into view. Then there we were, over the top of Cloudy Bay, with just a few wispy clouds remaining as we descended towards Blenheim airport surrounded by grapevines in the middle of prime grape growing land.

This is 10th November 2000 and day 2 of my whirlwind tour of the New Zealand wine scene with in-transit wine judge and visiting wine lover, Robin Garr, of the Wine Lovers Page fame. The previous day I had met Robin in Auckland and we flew to Wellington where we picked up a rental for a leisurely drive over the Rimutaka Hill to Martinborough, the North Island's premier Pinot Noir producing region. Click here to read this story.

Now we had just a day to enjoy as much as possible of world famous Marlborough. I had made appointments with several wineries and hoped we could keep up to the frenetic schedule. Jenise Stone from Los Angeles, who was coincidentally in town at the same time, was joining us for the day.

We picked up our rental car and I confidently headed west but thank goodness for the cellphone to find out the actual directions for our first appointment at Seresin Estate, which I had passed some miles back. Then, as the day unfolded, we were to also stop at Grove Mill, Isabel Estate, Villa Maria, Stoneleigh and Cloudy Bay, with lunch and scenic interludes. Unfortunately, we missed our appointments with Forrest and Huia due to late confirmations and the hospitality of our other hosts. The numbers in square brackets throughout the story relate to the map at the bottom of this page.

Sersein Estate [1] is a reasonably newcomer to the Marlborough scene. Filmmaker Michael Seresin owns the vineyard and Brian Bicknell, the winemaker, is a wealth of knowledge concerning all things vinous. Unfortunately for us and despite all attempts to meet up, we missed Brian by about half an hour (he was en route to Nelson) so were suitably looked after by Polly and Jim in the tiny tasting room. The photo shows the dramatic sculpture at the Bedford Road entrance to the vineyard.

Seresin Estate Pinot Gris 2000 Lovely aromatics of pear drop. Rich and toasty in the palate with ripe tropical fruit and passionfruit, nuts and spice. Oily texture. Vibrant and lifted with soft lemon acids. 18.

Seresin Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2000 Rich, herbaceous, typical Marlborough aromas with appley, barrel ferment hints creeping through. Lifted and spicy with soft citrus lifting the finish. Passionfruit and gooseberry linger with a touch of herbs. 17.5

Seresin Estate Chardonnay 1999 Some leesy characters but simple, lemony flavours with a toasty oak backbone. Lifted finish with spicy peach and melon lingering. There's some residual sugar in this wine, which made it a bit sweet for me. The oak is nicely integrated (it has about 75% seasoned oak) and not at all dominant. 16.

Seresin Estate Reserve Chardonnay 1998 This is more like it. It's got everything I love in a chardonnay. A fine, complete wine with layers of flavour. The aromas grab you with their delicious, appealing scents and in the palate it's toasty with integrated oak, figs, melons and stonefruit. Ripe and delicious with a very long length. This is very dry, very Burgundian in style and undoubtedly one of the best Chardonnays I've tried in a long time. 19.

Seresin Estate Pinot Noir 1999 Gorgeous cherry red colour and lustfully aromatic with savoury, spice and floral nuances. Quite rich in the palate and dry at first with herbs and brambles then sweet and juicy cherry fruit with smoke, savoury, a touch of that typical pinot acidity and a hint of that pinot earthiness. Aromatic with lingering, savoury, spicy and florals. Great body and weight and a crushed velvet texture. This wine is very seductive in its youth. Quite voluptuous in fact. 19.

Grove Mill [2] was not on the agenda, but seeing we were driving right past their gates (only a 100m detour up a side road) Robin though it would be good to see if Dave Pearce was about. He had met Dave in Louisville, Kentucky and really enjoyed the range of wines. Seems we had arrived before the 'opening hours'. But we hadn't seen a sign, the front gates were open, the tasting room was open, how were we to know? I looked at the artwork on the wall and picked out the canvas I liked. Then I saw the catalogue. It was the most expensive, just a mere $8000. Another time, perhaps. Someone went to find Dave and we tried some wines. The photo shows Robin, Dave and Jenise outside the Cellar Door.

Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc 2000 Very ripe and almost riesling-like with its citrus acidity but very soon gooseberry and passionfruit flavours emerged to make the statement "I'm Sauvignon Blanc'. 16.5

Grove Mill Pinot Gris 2000 Very ripe, passionfruit, stone fruits and apples. Quite luscious but seemingly drier than last years version, however the higher acidity is what makes it seem drier. Quite nutty on the finish, lingering sweet melon and passionfruit and fresh ripe juicy pears with a coasting of sugar and lemon juice. 17.5

Grove Mill Riesling 1999 Intense rich citrus with talc, florals, limes and other juicy fruit. Luscious, yet fresh and zesty with an orange rind finish. 18.

Grove Mill's second label is Sanctuary and I have long been impressed with the quality and value for money of this range.

Sanctuary Pinotage / Pinot Noir 1999 Chocolate and vanillin aromas. Lifted, crushed cherries and raspberries in the palate with just a touch of earthiness. Light but with substance. Pretty cherry fruit lingers on the finish. 16.5

Dave Pearce gave us a tour of the fully insulated winery, cellar and warehouse as we went to look for the Pinot Noir, which was not available in the tasting room. He says that they bottle all of any one wine at the same time, so the wine the world over is the same quality. Therefore they need a massive warehouse space to house thousands of cases of wine.

The Grove Mill Pinot Noir 1999 was worth the hunt. It is a gorgeous bright colour with a vibrant glow. Smoky cherry and cranberry fruits with hints of a chocolate richness. Dense in texture with earthy, gamey flavours and hints of tar. It's juicy and the oak has subtle char. 18.5

We were then treated to several barrel samples of the components of the Grove Mill Pinot Noir 2000, then we all correctly guessed the identity of a mystery sample of 1999 Merlot. It looked very promising with its big tannins and cassis, plum and menthol complexities. I'll look forward to assessing this when released.

Grove Mill was definitely a worthwhile stop, but we were now off schedule.

Isabel Estate [3] was next for we couldn't go to Marlborough and not visit the agency of our WLDG friend and chat buddy, Jason Brandt Lewis. Mike Tiller gave us a tour of the vineyard then Jeff Sinnott, the winemaker, arrived to take us through the range of wines. He told us that they are very excited about the US market and that 95% of the wines are exported to the US, UK and Australia. The photo shows Jeff and Robin.

Isabel Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2000 The wine was very cold, yet the rich flavours held their own. Intense gooseberry, marmalade and zesty spice with hints of passionfruit and some toasty apple on the finish. A very juicy wine. 18.5

Isabel Estate Riesling 2000 A lovely ripe style with balanced sweetness. Floral, talcy, stonefruits with juicy lemon squeezed on top and some ripe apple lingering on the finish. (15 grams residual sugar). 18

Isabel Estate Chardonnay 1999 Very toasty with figs and honey and lots of yeasty nuances. Long and full with sweet ripe peach flavours emerging. This is a rich wine, which needs food to accompany it. It was fermented in old oak, 90% wild ferment, 80% malolactic fermentation and lees stirred. 18

Isabel Estate Pinot Gris 2000 This is the first vintage and an "experiment". It's a dry nutty style with quite high alcohol making it appear hot. It's more about texture than fruit. and is soft on the finish with lifted, sweet ripe grape flavours and spice lingering. 16

Isabel Estate Pinot Noir 1999 Intense fragrance and flavour. Rich, varnishy, chocolate, vanillin and cherries. Really sweet, ripe, balanced fruit with depth of crushed velvet, forest floor, game and some earthy mushroom notes. Forward fruit, no smoke or char, but savoury spice and cherries lingering on the finish. 18.5

We stopped at nearby Highfield [4] for lunch, however this was not the highlight of the trip - perhaps spoilt from the outset by the pompous maitre d'. First of all he told us to shift the car (I had evidently parked it to close to the entrance but there were no 'No Parking' signs). Then he wouldn't give us the table by the window, saying it was reserved, when it was still vacant on our departure. The food was OK and I did not take notes on the wines I tasted. I had really enjoyed a visit to this winery some years ago, but it was a different story today. Oh well, that's what happens sometimes. See the footnote below.

It was Robin's turn to drive. Thank goodness, I was so tired. But not for long as the sudden swerving of the car well and truly woke me up. That was the result of the American's first experience of oncoming traffic coming towards him on the wrong side of the road!!

A stop at the new Marlborough winery of Villa Maria Estate [5] was next. The winery has only been open a few months, but it is a striking facility nevertheless (the photo shows the view looking out of the cellar door). The first full vintage will be the 2001 with the finished wine going to Auckland for bottling.

I had asked if we could taste the four Villa Maria sauvignon blancs side by side, as my observations told me many overseas fans of Villa Maria were only aware of the Private Bin. Today, the 'reserve wines', straight off the botting line, had been flown to Marlborough especially for us to taste.

The Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc is a favourite amongst the punters in NZ and overseas, for price, quality and availability. The 2000 vintage is soft and weighty with aromatic herbs and vibrant, zingy, pungent gooseberry and tropical fruits and nary a hint of armpits. I can imagine this becoming quite toasty. 4.9 grams residual sugar. 17.5/20

The Villa Maria Cellar Selection 2000 in its new gold label has more intense gooseberry aromas on the nose. It has a weighty, toasty complexity with sweet aromatic gooseberry, passionfruit and zesty citrus all combining to make a delicious drop. There is no oak in this wine. 18/20

The Villa Maria Reserve Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2000 has pungent gooseberry aromas and a lovely fruit balance. It's a weighty wine with stonefruits and tropical fruit emerging. There's a smoky flinty note too and some exotic floral nuance. It thought this wine was delicious and my favourite of the four. 18.5//20

The Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2000 was obviously suffering from some bottle shock. Pungent, flinty, smoky whiff at first which quickly blew away. Gooseberry, capsicums, herbs - typical Marlborough. Seems a tad sweeter than the Wairau. Fat and fleshy with hints of stone fruits emerging. 17.5/20. From past experience I have always found the Clifford Bay to be a slow developer, coming into its own around February.

Just along the road was one of Brent Marris's vineyards [6], sheltering under the lea of the Wither Hills. I've always enjoyed Brent's premium Wither Hills range of wines. His second label, Shepherds Ridge is only sold in the U.S.

Brent processes his fruit in Auckland but I asked if I could have a look at where the grapes were grown, interesting for me and perhaps interesting for Robin as they would be meeting as co-judges in the Sydney Top 100. It proved to be fun following the directions. "Turn down a dirt road past the apple shed and keep driving, past the orchards and eventually you will find the vineyards". Robin drove between the rows of vines, having to back out of the row with the wind machine (for warding off frosts) smack in the middle. An interesting part of Marlborough, not on the usual tourist route. The photo shows brand new Pinot Noir vines, which had been planted in the last few days.

We had a little time before our appointment at Cloudy Bay, but unfortunately not enough time to drive back to Renwick and Forrest Estate [10]. So we popped into Stoneleigh [7] to see Sam Weaver whose own label 'Churton' (mainly exported to the UK) is my maiden family name. He gave us directions to the vineyards, but they were miles away so we stuck around and tasted the Stoneleigh wines instead.

The Stoneleigh Riesling is a New Zealand classic - a wine I consider a benchmark for Marlborough Riesling. The 1999 Stoneleigh Riesling is the current release and what a stunner, I thought. The extra year of bottle age has introduced some lovely developing characters. This wine went on to win gold at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2000 and I was not at all surprised.. It is always a reliable label. Let's hope it continues to be so with the Montana merger.

Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc 2000. This wine went on to win gold and a trophy at the Air NZ Wine Awards (Nov 2000). It's a big intense wine, with toasty apple-like flavours and other hall-mark Marlborough characters.

Stoneleigh Pinot Noir 1999. This didn't seem to be a hit with the others but I like this wine. It is smoky, savoury and gamey with loads of flavour. Perhaps some herbs and some mushroom notes too. I love the aromas, the fruit weight and the feel in the mouth with cherry flavours lingering. It is excellent value and quality for the price - about NZ$18. Fully deserving of its silver medal win in the Air New Zealand. I scored 18/20.

It was a sad day to be at the Stoneleigh Winery. All the staff were out the back having a 'wake'. The winery was closing that day and the equipment was due to be moved to Montana's main facilities in Blenheim. We were told that the tasting room would close at the end of November. The end of an era.

Cloudy Bay [8] was just up the road the road. James Healy welcomed us and gave us the quickest tour of a winery I've ever had ("You've seen one winery, you've seen them all", he said). I was interested in their huge sparkling wine oak vats, however.

We told James about our tour in Martinborough with Larry McKenna, so James said "Well, let's go up to Joe's Knob".

We piled into his huge 4WD truck (SUV to you folks in the US) and drove down the Brancott Valley, through the Cloudy Bay vineyard behind Montana's huge planting's and up a precarious track to the top of the hill on the western flank of the Brancott Valley [9]. The view was amazing, so was the wind straight off Antarctica screaming in from the east around the corner of the Kaikoura Ranges. The photo shows the view looking east from Joe's Knob. Montana's Brancott Vineyards are on the left of the white road, while Cloudy Bay's vineyards are on the right.

Back at the winery, we were treated to the new tasting room to go through the range of wines. The photo below show James and Robin in the Cloudy Bay tasting room.

Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV Rich, toasty, leesy, lemony, lifted, full and long.

Cloudy Bay Pelorus 1996 Even richer and toastier. A full-bodied classy wine with heaps of flavour. White peaches at first, then lemon citrus on the finish. A great wine.

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2000 Dry at first in the palate. Appley, gooseberry, almost nutty, then really really juicy. High acid, lemony, fresh, then passionfruit, pineapple and basil. Very long, vibrant, full and luscious. This is benchmark Sauvignon Blanc.

Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 1997 This wine has a really unusual nose. You scratch your head wondering what on earth it is. Imagine developed sauvignon characters with a wild yeast influence, a barrel ferment complexity and malolactic and oxidative aromas. Toasty and buttery, like caramel, almost. In the palate it is very full, toasty and spicy with sweet stonefruits, hint of pineapple and exotic fruits such as pepino all bound together in a butterscotch wrapping. I think this is a wine one would either love or hate. I think I liked it. (I definitely liked it on a subsequent tasting).

Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 1998 A rich, fat. toasty, buttery, style with spicy oak, figs and stonefruits. It is very rich, very full with a butterscotch finish. This has developed very well since I last tasted several months ago.

Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 1996 Rich gold compared to the 1998. Some developed characters tensing towards a Burgundian style, with very integrated, mellow oak. Its rich, full and long with juicy fruit tending toward the tropical spectrum with hints of pineapple emerging.

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 1999 Lovely brambly, cherry, smoky, earthy, forest floor notes. Good depth of flavour with subtle tannins and char. Delicious sweet cheery fruits and a lovely long length.

Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling 1999 Lovely botrytis characters on the nose - sweet apricot with a honey bees-waxy characters together with lifted spice. Great balance. Delicious. If you are a lover of comb-honey, you will love this nectar.

Well it seems rude to taste and rush out so quickly but we had a plane to catch. If fact we were cutting it so tight, we didn't even have time to fill the rental with gas. If only we'd known the plane was running late.

The noisy flight got us back to Wellington - the only after effects the buzzing in the airdrums. The cloud had burnt off , the wind had dropped and it was a lovely evening. Perfect for walking the kilometre or so to Serranos, a BYO restaurant of some repute, where Jenise and her husband Bob, and Robin and I enjoyed a quiet meal with a few wines. At last we could swallow!

Totally exhausted, we got a taxi back to the motel to have a good night's sleep before the tasting and travels in store the next day.

Map of Marlborough showing our tour destinations.
Numbers on the map refers to the number in square brackets in the text, which are
Seresin [1], Grove Mill [2], Isabel [3], Highfield [4], Villa Maria [5],
Wither Hills [6], Stoneleigh [7], Cloudy Bay [8], Brancott Valley [9], Forrest Estate [10].
The airport is denoted by the yellow aeroplane symbol (centre).

Footnote January 2001: I met up with Highfield Marketing Manager, Russell Hooper, at a conference in January and when I told him of our poor reception at Highfield on this visit, he informed me that the person in question was no longer in the employment of Highfield, and we were not the only ones to be idsappointed by the pompous treatment we had received.