The Kiwis are coming for Pinot Noir
You’ve got to give New Zealand credit for pinching recognition for Sauvignon Blanc away from producers with centuries of experience, such as France. Now, the Kiwis are coming for Pinot Noir.
It’s been a long time coming. I clearly remember a New Zealand Pinot Noir seminar in the 1990s, which dubious tradespeople attended only to glimpse presenter Kim Crawford riding the juggernaut of his eponymous Sauvignon Blanc. We sniffed and slurped wines grown in Canterbury and Central Otago, Marlborough and Wairarapa. (This was in pre-“Sideways” days when few wine pros knew U.S. Pinot regions such as Santa Barbara or Willamette.) The tasting did little to divert our attention away from familiar regions like France’s Pommard and Nuits-Saint-Georges and their world-acclaimed regional flavors.
But time is on New Zealand’s side. Not long ago, NZ’s cold climate yielded searing wine acidity, which producers often assuaged with a dose of sugar. Now, global warming extends growing seasons for more consistently ripened grapes, with acid balanced by grape sugar, texture and flavor. With the right fruit in the right hands, the result can be wine that is concentrated, textural and complex, yet still bright with balanced acidity, such as …
Pinot Noir, Isabel Estate, 2021 (Marlborough, New Zealand): Alluring aromas and a rich, silken mouthful of ripe berries and dried herb accents, which Isabel winemaker Jeremy McKenzie likes to serve with New Zealand’s famed wild duck, venison and lamb, as well as grilled salmon. (These notes are based on 2020 vintage, with the 2021 more widely available.)
At $30 per bottle, this wine will be a welcome surprise for Pinot lovers accustomed to paying $50 and up (way up) for top labels. I tasted the 2020 vintage with McKenzie, who described it as “the best vintage in 20 years.” Then, reports emerged of a “superb” 2021 and a 2024 as “the best in memory.” In general, New Zealand is defying statistics as our only import gaining in sales, so retail presence is expanding. Ask your wine merchant about Isabel Estate Pinot Noir, distributed by Romano Beverage (Elmhurst).
Fresh as a mountain stream
California currently grows about 100 wine grape varieties (far less than Italy’s 1,000-plus), but flavors are dominated by Chardonnay’s vanilla and Cabernet Sauvignon’s chocolate. Now think of a wine that tastes like stones.
In winespeak that’s ‘minerality,’ a bracingly fresh accent sometimes compared to a mountain stream. It’s a central component of the greatest wines in the Old World.
One California winegrower who is mining these flavors (I couldn’t resist the pun, sorry) is John Niven, proprietor of Cadre. Located on the San Luis Obispo Coast a few miles from the ocean, Cadre vineyards include diverse soils of ancient marine deposits, volcanic rock, sandstone and shale, all above various clays and sands. It’s also California’s coolest winegrowing region. So Niven planted grapes associated with cool, rocky regions, such as northern Spain’s Albariño and Austria’s Grüner Veltliner, hence …
Grüner Veltliner “Band of Stones,” Cadre (San Luis Obispo Coast, Edna Valley, CA) 2024: (Pretend you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger and say GROON-ner VELT-leener.) Even The Governator would approve of the wine’s whiff of white pepper with just-ripe stone fruit flavors, sprinkled with ginger and wrapped in a minerally frame and firm acidity, a little more texturous than classic Austrian versions. In Viennese cafes, Grüner Veltliner is served with sausages and cured meats, fried foods and even two dishes unfriendly to most wines — asparagus (with Hollandaise Sauce) and steamed artichokes (slathered in butter). For at-home flavor, serve it with a BLT or grilled bratwurst (with or without Chicago-style mustard pickles and onions). Available at small shops, such as Schaefer’s (Skokie), Independent Spirits (Chicago) and select Binny’s, about $30. Distributed by High Road Wine & Spirits (Chicago).
After one taste of Cadre Grüner Veltliner, you’ll be back.
• Mary Ross is an Advanced Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers), a Certified Wine Educator (Society of Wine Educators) and a recipient of Wine Spectator’s “Grand Award of Excellence.” Write to her at food@dailyherald.com.