This wine is produced from three sought-after Pinot Noir clones, 667, 777 and 115. Each clone is harvested and fermented separately before it is blended and aged in French oak.
The wine displays a bouquet of dark cherries, plums and cinnamon.
It has rich and generous flavours, excellent balance and silky tannins.
Winemaker Neill Culley
Vintage 2008
Region Marlborough
Wine Style This Pinot Noir displays fragrant cherry and red berry aromas with traces of thyme, mushroom and other earthy characters. The palate is lively, but also generous, with a long, silky finish. The wine is crafted to be enjoyed while youthful, fresh and vibrant.
Vineyards A selection of Pinot Noir clones (667, 777, 115 and 5) are grown on the stony, infertile soils of the Rapaura sub-region in Marlborough. Each clone contributesa unique characteristic to the final blend. Despite a cool start, the 2007-2008 growing season experienced warmer than average temperatures which contributed to good flavour development in the grapes. Higher than average rainfall during October and December promoted good canopy growth, which allowed us to pick slightly early and retain the delicate aromas.
Winemaking When the grape flavours and maturity were considered to be optimal, each clone was harvested separately. In the winery, the fruit was destemmed and cold soaked for 4 days, prior to fermentation in open vats. Hand plunging was used for the gentle extraction of colour and tannin. The wine was then lightly pressed and matured in French oak.
Cellaring Best enjoyed upon release and over the next 3 years
Accolades 2007 Culley Marlborough Pinot Noir:
Bronze Medal - Royal Easter Show Wine Awards 2008
Bronze Medal - Decanter World Wine Awards 2008
Commended - International Wine Challenge 2008
Cable Bay Vineyards
12 Nick Johnstone Dr,
(PO Box 320, Oneroa) Church Bay
Ph: 09-372 5889, fax: 09-372 5869
Email: info@cablebayvineyards.co.nz
www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz
Managing director/Winemaker: Neill Culley
Marketing manager: Anthony Mills
Wine sales: Mail order, retail, Internet
Price range: $22-$35
Winery tastings: At the Waiheke Island Wine Festival, Sat 5 Feb 2005; otherwise
by appointment
Vineyard accommodation: The Winemaker’s Loft; self-contained accommodation
overlooking the vineyards and out
to the Hauraki Gulf
When Neill Culley made the decision to resign after a distinguished career as the winemaker for Babich Wines, he could have gone just about anywhere. He chose Waiheke Island for several reasons: it had a proven track record as a wine region, it offered a point of difference in marketing terms and it appealed to him and his wife personally. He didn’t want to live in a “wine monoculture”, where the only company was other winemakers and the only subject of conversation was wine.
Neill and his partners have five vineyards, totalling about 20 hectares, dotted over the island. Site diversification not only provides more blending options, but also spreads the risk because, even on the relatively small (26km x 19km) island, both climate and soils can vary markedly. “We have pulled out some vineyards because they didn’t perform,” says Neill.
The plantings are split roughly equally between the Chardonnay and Bordeaux varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.
Neill says Waiheke’s clay soils and warm climate produce a Chardonnay that is not overly aromatic, but has good texture and depth, making it an ideal food wine. The same conditions imbue red wines with a warmth and sweetness that Neill believes is characteristic of Waiheke.
Cable Bay also has another vineyard in Marlborough that is producing Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, two wines that overseas distributors expect – and even demand – New Zealand producers to have in their portfolios.
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