Reviews
Regional Wines, Winery of the Year, December 2008
…continued from homepage.
It has been a fantastic year for proprietors Larry and Sue McKenna who have released a bevy of wonderful wines. The 2006 Escarpment ‘Kupe’ Pinot Noir has proven to be one of the best examples of this country’s most important red variety, and its quality was superbly supported by the ‘Insight’ single-vineyard Pinot Noir wines ‘Kiwa’, Te Rehua’ and ‘Pahi’, as well as an inaugural 2006 ‘Kupe’ Chardonnay. Even the regular releases under the Escarpment label have been highly praised; the 2006 Riesling and Chardonnay finding many devotees. And the delicious 2006 Escarpment ‘Hinemoa’ Late Harvest Riesling features in our ‘Top 30’ Christmas and Summer Wine Selection this year. Quite simply, The Escarpment Vineyard wines are sensational, and we at Regional Wines are extremely pleased to still be able to offer them instore.
The quality of the wine, the winery’s contribution to Regional’s business, as well as the working relationship are criteria for the award. In all counts, The Escarpment Vineyard is a winner. Larry’s contribution to the wine industry has been remarkable too, and this has been recognised in his selection as Chairman of Judges role in a number of wine shows and recently he was the awarded the George Fistonich medal and chosen as a ‘New Zealand Legend of Wine’ for his role in establishing Pinot Noir as New Zealand’s premier red wine variety. Regional Wines salutes Larry McKenna by choosing The Escarpment Vineyard as ‘Winery of the Year’. Well, done, Larry!
This is the third year we have made this award, following the inaugural Winery of the Year in 2006 going to Saint Clair in Marlborough and last year’s award going to Craggy Range in Hawke’s Bay. Both of these recipients have continued to produce superb wines and it is our pleasure to recommend them as makers of some of the best wines in the country.
The floral component of Pinot Noir, outstanding new Escarpment vineyard 'Insight Series' wines, other new releases
Click the link below to find out what Geoff Kelly has to say about the Insight Series Wines
http://www.geoffkellywinereviews.co.nz/index.php?ArticleID=140
Red to China
Guandong province is the first in China to be blessed with an Aussie wine cellar door. Called, funnily enough, The Cellar Door, it’s stacked with wines from the Kirby Family Vineyeards including Yabby Lake, Red Claw, Heathcote Estate, their export market brand Cooralook and affiliated NZ brand Escarpment. Kirby Vineyards general manager Tom Carson says, “We want our customers in China to experience our wines just as if they were visiting us here at home.” Guandong is the most populous province in China, with both the capital Guangzhou and economic hub Shenzhen rated as among the most important cities in the country.
Hopefully, the residents will enjoy a drop of red from Mornington, Martinborough and Heathcote.
The Cellar Door, Shop 8B Times Square, 28 Tianhe Bei Road. Guangzhou, China
Larry the Winemaking Legend
It is no coincidence that Australians are the only winemakers among the four Legends of Wine named by the organisers of the New Zealand International Wine Show since the George Fistonich Medal was first awarded in 2005.
The contribution to the New Zealand wine industry of Kevin Judd (Cloudy Bay) and Larry McKenna at Martinborough, now Escarpment has been huge. As has that of a couple more young South Australians who crossed the Tasman in the late 1970s-early 80s to make their mark on the other side Ð Kate Radburnd at C.J Pask and John Hancock at Morton Estate, now Trinity Hill. So don’t be surprised if they follow suit. It was Hancock who McKenna, the latest Legend, credits with teaching him much of what he needed to know when he joined Delegates as assistant winemaker in 1980. But not about the rogue red that was growing in one of the vineyards there. Don’t worry about it, he was told. It only does well in Burgundy.
Which was an invitation for the new boy to buy the only three bottles of pinot noir he could find in the local bottle shop and try them that night.
Thus began McKenna’s love affair with the most sensuous of the great red wines and a search for the Holy Grail that has since seen him produce some of New Zealand’s finest examples of the variety.
In the process he has not only become a champion of pinot noir in this country but a central figure in its rise and rise around the world. None of the international festivals at which it is celebrated or the forums at which it’s discussed are complete without the presence of Larry McKenna, still remarkably fresh-faced and bubbling with an almost boyish enthusiasm.
His conversion to the cause began in earnest in 1985 when, after taking over from Hancock at Delegats, he became the winemaker at Martinborough vineyards, which had been founded on the belief that this was a place to grow great wines, particularly pinot noir.
Four years later at the Air New Zealand Awards he proved the point when as Martinborough (the district’s) first professional winemaker his chardonnay, riesling, mullar thurgau and pinot noir all won trophies, the pinot wine of show. But his crowning glory came in 1997 when Martinborough Vineyards 1994 Reserve Pinot Noir won the Bouchard Finlayson Trophy, premier award for this variety at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London.
In 1999 McKenna did what was always on the cards Ð found a couple of partners in Australians Robert and Mein Kirby and launched The Escarpment Vineyards in the Te Muna Valley, south-east of Martinborough township. It is planted, of course, mainly in pinot noir, has already produced some stunning wines and there is perhaps no better example of McKenna’s considerable skill than they release of this flagship, the 2006 Kupe Martinborough Pinot Noir ($85). Solid but sexy it is awash with flavour and built to last. The 2007 Martinborough ($45) Pinot Noir is similarly intense and layered with fruit and spice but made for earlier drinking.
Both are very classy wines. Likewise a trio of 2006 single vineyards pinot noirs (Te Rehua, Pahi and Kiwa, all $65) from Escarpment’s new Insight (reserve) range that are designed to highlight McKenna’s dedication to the concept of terroir that such wines should not simply imitate those considered to be the best of their kind, but an expression of the place from which they come.
The same applies to the immaculate chardonnay, pinot gris and riesling that he produces under the Escarpment label; the wines in which he has a hand in making for Yabby Lake in the Mornington Penninsula in South Australia and Heathcote Estate to Victoria; and the simpler cheaper varieties marketed by Escarpment under The Edge label.
For Larry the Legend it is a journey that is as exciting now as when it began. For those of us who savour this wonderful stuff as well.
2005 Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir
93 Points
"Since its debut in 2003, this has been one of New Zealand’s top Pinot Noir’s, combining power, structure and complexity. Smoky and richly peppery at first, it turns more floral with aeration, and while it’s big in the mouth, it’s also silky in texture. The black cherry, plum, vanilla and spice flavors fan out on the long, layered finish. Drink now – 2015."
Wine Enthusiast Magazine on November 1, 2007
2005 Escarpment Pinot Noir
90 points, "Editor’s Choice"
“This is like a scaled-down version of the Kupe bottling – or is that one a scaled-up version of this wine? Smoky and peppery notes mark the nose, framing black cherry and plum flavors in a wire cage of cured meats, yet the texture is supply and silky. Drink now – 2012.”
Wine Enthusiast Magazine on November 1, 2007
2006 Escarpment Pinot Noir Martinborough
90 points
Good dark red with ruby highlights. Piercing aromas of blackberry, raspberry, sandalwood and pungent herbs. Sweet, spicy and downright sexy, with lovely inner-mouth floral lift to complicate the raspberry fruit. Finishes long, with dusty, suave tannins and enticing mineral bite. With its terrific lift and energy, this reminded me of a top grower Beaujolais from the outstanding 2005 vintage.
Tasted by Stephen Tanzer
2005 Escarpment Pinot Noir Martinborough
88 points
Good dark red. Musky raspberry, earth and a peppery undertone on the nose. Rich, broad and very ripe but without quite the sweetness of fruit of the 2005. This manages to be both slightly high-toned and a bit lacking in definition. The very dry finish shows a fine dusting of tannins.
Tasted by Stephen Tanzer
2005 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe Martinborough
89(+?) points
Good deep red-ruby. Dark berries, flowers and peppery spices on the nose, along with a hint of high-toned, resiny oak. Sweet, juicy and vibrant in the mouth, with strong dark berry flavors complicated by mint and clove and sharpened by terrific acid cut. Finishes long, with a peppery suggestion of berry skin. This very young and promising wine grew sweeter as it opened in the glass. (Meadowbank Estates, Alexandria, VA)
Tasted by Stephen Tanzer
2005 Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir
The Escarpment winery is tucked into a hillside looking across a broad valley near Martinborough on New Zealand’s North Island. Kupe, Escarpment’s top pinot, is concentrated and complex with dark plum, herb and spice characters, meaty notes and subtle oak. The full palate is solidly structured and persistent, but still quite unevolved.
Ageing?: Yes, 2-8 years
Food ideas: Beef fillet, kangaroo
- A superb example, a near perfect wine of great character, worthly of the big occasion and the best company.
$$: Reasonably priced relative to quality.
By Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age, 23 October 2007
Escarpment Pinot Noir awarded Best Business Class Red in
the sky
UK Business Traveller magazine announced today that Air New Zealand has won the prestigious award for Best Business Class Red for Escarpment Martinborough Pinot Noir 2004.
There were a record number of 35 airlines entered into this year's awards. Escarpment’s Pinot Noir won from a field that included: Domaine Tournon Mount Benson Shiraz M Chapoutier, Australia, Baron de Ley Gran Reserva, Spain, Santa Helena, Chile and Chateau Marquis de Terme, France.
UK Business Traveller runs the Cellars in the Sky competition in association with Wine & Spirit magazine. Tasting for this year's competition took place over two days at the Hyatt Regency hotel in London and was carried out by London-based New Zealand Master of Wine Peter McCombie, Top UK wine writer Tim Atkin and co-chairmen of the International Wine Challenge Derek Smedley MW and Charles Metcalfe.
14 February 2007
Escarpment Pinot Noir 2004 wins Gold Medal at WINPAC 2007
Escarpment Pinot Noir 2004 was awarded a Gold Medal at the 17th Wines of the Pacific Rim Festival (WINPAC 2007) held between 30th January and 3rd February 2007 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong.
The panel of judges of the wine show was led by John Avery MW and the panel included Greg Melick (Organising Judge), Wayne Donaldson (E&J Gallo), Peter Lehmann (Peter Lehmann wines), Sam Neill (Two Paddocks) and a team of local judges.
Excerpts from a press release from North East Wines and Spirits Ltd, Hong Kong, February 2007
Songs of praise for 2003 Kupe by Escarpment
Said Matthew Jukes of The Daily Mail, after a flight of wines that included a sublime 2003 Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru from Burgundy alongside a first crop pinot noir made by Larry McKenna (the 2003 Kupe) in Martinborough: "In 20 years' time Kupe will be one of the world's great wines."
Excerpts from an article in the Dominion Post by Warren Barton, 10 February 2007
Escarpment wins New Zealand's Regional & Overall Champion Pinot Noir Trophy
New Zealand's premiere annual 'National Pinot Noir Consumer tasting' visited Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland between 11–14 October 2005 showcasing ninety–five Pinot Noir from the key wine regions.
"The tour was an outstanding success" says Jeff Poole, Fine Wine Delivery Company Managing Director and visionary who established this event three years ago. Over 800 Pinot devotees attended the national tastings, relishing the opportunity to taste New Zealand's most comprehensive selection of Pinot Noir from the same vintage (2004) under one roof on one night.
Regional Champion Pinot Noir Martinborough/Wairarapa 2004 Vintage
Escarpment Pinot Noir 2004
(Runner up - Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2004)
NZ Overall Champion Pinot Noir 2004 Vintage
Escarpment Pinot Noir 2004
(Runner up - Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2004)
"To finish ahead of an outstanding Pinot Noir like Ata Rangi is a fantastic result, these two trophies mean more to me than any Wine Show awards as they reflect the opinions of a large number of experienced New Zealand Pinot Noir drinkers" Larry McKenna
Excerpts from a press release from The Fine Wine Delivery Company, October 2005
Supreme Red Winner – Escarpment 2003 Kupe Pinot Noir
This is the flagship wine of Pinot Noir guru, Larry McKenna. It's a very serious Pinot Noir in a rather Burgundian style. Dense and complex wine with an array of attractive red fruit flavours that are underpinned by spicy oak. Lovely long and supple wine with appealing complexity. Choc-ful of charm. 95 points.
Bob Campbell, Home and Entertaining NZ, April/May 2005
Guest: winemaker Larry McKenna
To say that Larry McKenna is passionate about Pinot Noir is an understatement. McKenna led the way, with the help of a few other single-minded winemakers, in transforming New Zealand Pinot Noir from a pleasant red wine to an artform.
During his time as winemaker with Martinborough Vineyards McKenna became obsessed with the world's most challenging grape variety. He travelled widely to meet others with a similar fascination and to taste every benchmark Pinot Noir that he could find.
In 1999 McKenna, with the help of an Australian partner, established Escarpment and planted the winery's first vineyard in a newly developed area of the Martinborough Terrace known as Te Muna.
Pinot Noir lovers expected great things from McKenna's new winery – and he did not disappoint. Using grapes purchased from local growers Escarpment has made several very impressive wines. Escarpment 2003 Kupe Pinot Noir is the first wine to be made solely from the intensively-planted vineyard at Te Muna. It is also the first wine that McKenna has fermented in his brand-new, 7000-litre French oak cuve, although McKenna believes the wine owes more of its character and quality to the vineyard site and viticulture than it does to winemaking.
Bob Campbell, Home and Entertaining NZ, April/May 2005
Aussie Larry McKenna Knows Pinot
Larry McKenna hails from Adelaide, Australia and is one of the most outstanding Pinot Noir winemakers American wine consumers have never heard of. His wine epiphany occurred while tasting Pinot Noir in Martinborough, New Zealand, in 1983. Shortly thereafter, he became the winemaker at Martinborough Vineyards. Known affectionately as "The Professor", he has furthered the cause of Pinot Noir both in the New and Old World and is well-admired for bringing New Zealand viticulture and winemaking to world–class levels. In 1998, his Martinborough Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir 1996 won the trophy for the top Pinot Noir at the International Wine & Spirits competition.
PinotFile Vol 4, Issue 33, April 2005
2003 Escarpment Martinborough Pinot Noir
A warm, muscular and heady Pinot Noir. The color is a gorgeous shade of burgundy. The taste features plenty of dark fruits with earth, citrus and smoke. A nice cherry–toned finish features a high-toned acid backbone. This wine needs decanting or some time to soften and smooth out.
PinotFile Vol 4, Issue 33, April 2005
Escarpment Vineyard 2003 Kupe - a stately wine of real class and presence
Dark cerise trimmed red. Fine, moderately rich bouquet is crammed with deep fruit aromas and a cosmopolitan spiciness, tinged with earth and viscera. Impact is sleek and close grained, oozing intense fruit and suave oak, slipping seamlessly into a big, deep mid palate that has vigour, richness and intensity. Finish is very long, again dense and fine, with wonderful ripe tannins and a last flash of bright, berryish fruit. A stately wine of real class and presence, its fruit intensity glowing throughout. Score: 9/10
Tasted by: Keith Stewart on 9 April 2005, www.sommnet.com
Kupe by Escarpment SV Pinot Noir 2003: Wine of the Week for week ending 10 April 2005
It's a brave man that would put his new New Zealand pinot noir up against one of the most famous brands in the world [Yabby Lake Pinot Noir 2003 and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échezéaux 2001]. It takes an even braver man to do the exercise blind. But when you are the man that is respected throughout the country as one of the leading winemakers of the variety, and have had the passion and the dedication to pursue the Holy Grail for almost the last 20 years, it really is no surprise.
…the Kupe By Escarpment Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2003 did itself proud. It is intensely coloured deep crimson purple–black with crimson rims and a deep black–red garnet core in a well–filled glass morphing to a gemmy rubellite colour when the glass is nearing empty. It is bright and youthful…
Very softly aromatic on the nose…It is perfumed with florals and spices and the spice carries through to the palate where it is joined by voluptuous fruit and smoky savoury oak, the oak quite dominant at first until it is swamped by the fruit. Earthy with a great intensity of plum and cherry fruit infused with clove and cinnamon spices and liquorice, the texture is plush with quite firm grainy (crushed velvet) tannins and a long, sweet fruited, dry spicy finish. There's good acidity with a hint of liquorice chocolate on the aftertaste…
It certainly has an aura of unfathomable quality about it and like Kupe the navigator, after whom the wine is named, this wine could well be leading New Zealand pinot noir in a new direction.
© Sue Courtney, www.wineoftheweek.com, 3 April 2005
Premium Pinot Noir 2003: Regional Wines and Spirits – Tasting Notes
Escarpment Vineyard 'Kupe' Pinot Noir 2003 14.1% alc. Fruit solely from the Escarpment Vineyard, Te Muna Road, 1.5 x 1.0 m spacing, planted 1999. All Abel clone. 12 months in new French barriques. Very dark, deep red with purple hues. Very full bouquet with ripe, sweet dark berries and cherries, very pure, rich and deep. Lovely oak backing.
A wine of great power and depth. Huge, ripe berried fruit with wonderful purity of expression. The richness and lusciousness is stunning, and perfectly balanced by the very fine grained tannins. Oak in proportion. Sweetness of fruit allied with enormous power and structure. Quite exceptional. Will age very, very well. 19.5/20
Raymond Chan, Regional Wines and Spirits, Saturday 9 April 2005
Vintage Leaders are leading by example
Our wine industry's triumphs have all come since the healing of factional battles, since the adoption of a unifying body – the Wine Institute – and contingent upon co-operative learning and development across the whole wine community, from growers to retailers.
It is a situation where the true leaders have not been grandstanders – people such as Denis Kasza, Bruce Collard, Ross Spence, Tim Finn, Larry McKenna, John Comerford and John Belsham.
"You may not have heard of them, and others may claim their glory, but they are great like Lily Bollinger was great".
Keith Stewart, Listener, July 13 2002
