Lance Redgwell at his Cambridge Road cellar door in Martinborough. There is a wave of change washing over Martinborough, and Lance Redgwell of Cambridge Road Vineyard is surfing the crest. After crossing the globe working in vineyards, sailing, and building ships, Lance found his way back to New Zealand and settled in Martinborough to start making wines his own way.
He clearly respects the history around him: Martinborough is the original hotbed of New Zealand pinot noir steeped in over 4o years of winemaking history. As one of the older regions in New Zealand, the quiet streets of Martinborough swirl in a mist of history, tales, and legends. The infamous Abel clone laid down roots here. The original properties of Ata Rangi and Dry River are close by. Over decades, vines have adapted to the local microclimates and viticulturalists have better data on rootstocks and clones than they once did. Lance's place includes some of the most historic blocks in New Zealand dating back to 1986. In fact, Martinborough as a region has just begun to settle out in global terms-- it's no longer a flurry of exciting vineyards going in with uncertainty. Though there is still plenty off room for exploration, today we can identify regional style and winemaking techniques, and clearly talk about what Martinborough wine is all about. But Lance didn't come to fit into this cookie-cutter vision of Martinborough. He's here to show us what else can be done on these terraces.
He clearly respects the history around him: Martinborough is the original hotbed of New Zealand pinot noir steeped in over 4o years of winemaking history. As one of the older regions in New Zealand, the quiet streets of Martinborough swirl in a mist of history, tales, and legends. The infamous Abel clone laid down roots here. The original properties of Ata Rangi and Dry River are close by. Over decades, vines have adapted to the local microclimates and viticulturalists have better data on rootstocks and clones than they once did. Lance's place includes some of the most historic blocks in New Zealand dating back to 1986. In fact, Martinborough as a region has just begun to settle out in global terms-- it's no longer a flurry of exciting vineyards going in with uncertainty. Though there is still plenty off room for exploration, today we can identify regional style and winemaking techniques, and clearly talk about what Martinborough wine is all about. But Lance didn't come to fit into this cookie-cutter vision of Martinborough. He's here to show us what else can be done on these terraces.
Take, for example, his Petillant Naturel 2013, a blend of gruner veltliner, riesling, old sauvingon blanc vines, and pinot gris. In theory it may sound like an uncommon and unusual experiment, but in practice it works. The varieties enhance each other's characteristics, and the wine hits that unique and almost impossible benchmark of being both complex and simple: so complex you want to think about it, so simple you want to drink it. The wine finishes clean and fresh, and reminded me of dandelions, marigolds, and meyer lemon zest.
Lance also makes a still white wine from the same must, finished with nothing but sterile filtration. So often when you have interesting variety combinations such as this, the wine doesn't come together. But here it does, and possibly because the varieties have all been co-fermented on wild yeasts. This is a great example of what can happen to the integrity of a wine when you relinquish a little control and co-ferment.
Lance also makes a still white wine from the same must, finished with nothing but sterile filtration. So often when you have interesting variety combinations such as this, the wine doesn't come together. But here it does, and possibly because the varieties have all been co-fermented on wild yeasts. This is a great example of what can happen to the integrity of a wine when you relinquish a little control and co-ferment.
Here's another interesting wine: "Weeping Tiger," a skin-contact, sparkling rendition of pinot gris, unfiltered, unsulphured. A few people are working with skin-contact pinot gris in New Zealand, and they all seem to be nailing it. This one was like nectarine skins and orange meringue.
Pupitre at Cambridge Road. He hand-riddles both of these on his own pupitre.
Sphere fermenter and egg fermenter. He's experimenting with a prototype spherical fermenter, and has just gotten in the region's first ceramic egg fermenter. I'm staying tuned to see what he makes from these....
True to Martinborough roots, Lance is also making great syrah and pinot noir; and here is where he gets most of his acclaim. This is also the part of his production that is most widely exported.
He puts the focus on farming, "Vineyard managing is where I feel most comfortable," he says, and you can tell how his vineyard work brings more out of these grapes each year.
The pinot noirs have a unique personality to them, and after tasting across a few vintages I got some pretty incredible tasting notes, "fresh bark, nutmeg, raw beef hide, wildflowers, cacao nibs, fresh-cut cane;" there's a lot going on here that exceeds a standard pinot noir. The syrahs are equally complex, elegant, and expressive, with intense flavors of meat, BBQ, soy, licorice, and black pepper.
He puts the focus on farming, "Vineyard managing is where I feel most comfortable," he says, and you can tell how his vineyard work brings more out of these grapes each year.
The pinot noirs have a unique personality to them, and after tasting across a few vintages I got some pretty incredible tasting notes, "fresh bark, nutmeg, raw beef hide, wildflowers, cacao nibs, fresh-cut cane;" there's a lot going on here that exceeds a standard pinot noir. The syrahs are equally complex, elegant, and expressive, with intense flavors of meat, BBQ, soy, licorice, and black pepper.
My personal favorite was this "Dovetail" field blend from 2010. It's a mix of syrah (29%) and pinot noir (71%), unfined, unfiltered, and barely any sulphur.
In fact, here in Martinborough, there is a unique dialogue between pinot noir and syrah. It seems almost counterintuitive to plant these varieties together-- they are often separated by distance and climate elsewhere in the world, and yet, this climate will fully ripen pinot noir and just ripen syrah. It's a place-- like Victoria, like Sonoma-- that can elegantly bring both of these grapes to bottle. Dovetail is a wine that embodies this unique and tenuous balance that exists in the space between these two varieties.
The more "classic" wines from Cambridge Road (the pinot noir bottlings and the syrahs) are what you will mostly find in the US market, but I'm glad to know that there is a whole other layer of Martinborough to tap into.
In fact, here in Martinborough, there is a unique dialogue between pinot noir and syrah. It seems almost counterintuitive to plant these varieties together-- they are often separated by distance and climate elsewhere in the world, and yet, this climate will fully ripen pinot noir and just ripen syrah. It's a place-- like Victoria, like Sonoma-- that can elegantly bring both of these grapes to bottle. Dovetail is a wine that embodies this unique and tenuous balance that exists in the space between these two varieties.
The more "classic" wines from Cambridge Road (the pinot noir bottlings and the syrahs) are what you will mostly find in the US market, but I'm glad to know that there is a whole other layer of Martinborough to tap into.
Nets on Cambridge Road vines keep the birds from eating his harvest. Lance is someone to keep your eye on. He has a way of honoring the past and producing beautiful region-specific wines, while also pushing the edges of possibility ever outward, driven by infectious curiosity. But more importantly, in the grand scheme of things, his unique way of doing things is clearly inspiring creativity and subtle change throughout the region. He is a catalyst for whatever the New Martinborough will become.
<-- When these nets come off this year.... anything can happen.
<-- When these nets come off this year.... anything can happen.
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