My Kiwi wine journey 2) Wowed in Waiheke
My wine journey continues, with the short trip from Auckland’s busy centre to the beautiful island of Waiheke …
A vineyard that’s now considered one of the finest in New Zealand, yet was only planted in 1985 … Stonyridge could be a totem for the guile of New Zealand’s ‘baby boomer’ winemakers.
Lapping up the sunshine in a delightful spot on an enchanting island, Stephen White’s wines give the impression that someone has picked up a slice of the Left Bank and delicately popped it back down on a plot perfectly suited to those, tricky-to-ripen, Bordeaux blends.
It’s a Sunday lunchtime, the tropical storm has blown itself out, it’s warm again and White is flitting between the tables in his high-end winery restaurant, checking everyone is happy. They certainly appear to be. And he seems to know almost everyone personally, or at least gives the impression that he does, which is half the art of service. Everything about this place whispers ‘boutique’ – and that’s certainly true of its size, at around ten hectares.
Waiheke is very different now, but White’s winemaking remains deliberately old-fashioned …
Fresh from a round the world sailing race, White cut his viticultural teeth in Bordeaux at Chateau Angludet, under the influence of the late, great Peter Sichel. He returned to his native New Zealand in 1981 and set up shop on a patch of scrub in what was then regarded as a slightly grungy enclave for hippies and their rusting camper vans. Waiheke is very different now, with its new-found wealth sometimes a little too conspicuous, but White’s winemaking remains deliberately old fashioned; his elegantly-structured cabernet-dominant blends were among the best wines I tasted on my trip.
So how come cabernet ripens up here on the coast, when it can be a real struggle in the warmest vineyards of Hawke’s Bay? Well it’s chiefly down to a perfect north-facing site, sheltered from the chilly south-westerly winds that blast up from Antarctica by the Stoney Ridge (pictured above), which dominates the view from the restaurant.
The top wine is ‘Larose’, which commands some of New Zealand’s keenest prices, thanks to its high quality, low volume and impressive collection of Robert Parker points. It’s also a favourite of the country’s former Prime Minister John Key, who always orders a few cases, and it’s sold on an ‘allocation basis’ (i.e: you’ll be lucky if you get much of it, even if you’re Mr Key). Sadly there won’t be a Larose from the 2017 vintage as not even the Stoney Ridge could save the cabernet last year. It never ripened, so they chucked it away and are focusing their efforts on a petit verdot-led Bordeaux blend instead, which, a barrique sample suggested, is shaping up well.
The Malbec-led blend ‘Airfield’ is Stonyridge’s second wine – a divine match with fillet steak – and there’s also a single-varietal malbec, and a southern Rhone-inspired grenache, syrah, mourvedre, viognier blend to feast on.
Although the wines could be weighty, they manage not to be overblown, with a real sense of place, a defining purity of fruit, and a silky smooth tannin structure. In short, bang on trend. Is Stephen White following wine fashion with his winemaking? Having met him, I rather doubt it. He is very clearly someone who just does what he does.
I’d highly recommend trying the wines if you’re lucky enough to get the chance (they are on a select few London wine lists), and if you’re in Auckland, hop on the ferry (it’s just over 30 minutes), pop in a taxi (not the cheapest cabs you’ll ever find) and have lunch here (oh, you’d probably better book). Or just check out winepaths.com who offer organised tours to the island, including dining packages at Stonyridge, which cuts out the hassle factor.
I guarantee you too will be wowed in Waiheke!
UK stockists: see my suggestions after the last article in the series, although getting hold of Stonyridge wines is very tricky!