The grapes for this wine come from Ian and Donna Anderson’s vineyard high up in the Brancott Valley in Marlborough. The clay soils of the Brancott tend to give us a lighter style of Pinot Noir.
These grapes, a mixture of clones, were hand harvested and fermented and aged in stainless steel until post malolactic fermentation. The wine was then put into 30 per cent new French barrels and the balance to older French barrels where it was allowed to mature.
The grapes for this Merlot were hand harvested at optimal ripeness from the Corner 50 Vineyard in Hawkes Bay. They were then fermented on skins in a 8 tonne open top fermentor at 30 Deg max, and hand plunged 3 times daily. Following malolactic fermantation the wine was matured in a mixture of new and old Oak barrels for 16 months.
Chosen for the Kim Favourite label because the Marlborough grapes have helped set the definitive style for the Small Parcel Pinot Noir.
After crushing, the grapes were cold soaked for four days and had six days fermenting on their skins. Wild ferment allowed the fruit to show its true expression. Seventy per cent of the wine matured for 10 months in oak, a quarter of that in new French oak, and the balance in stainless steel. All of the wine went through malolactic fermentation.
The fruit is abound with dark cherry and black Doris plum and is consistently of outstanding quality.
Named after Rise-And-Shine Creek that runs through the heart of Central Otago’s once famous gold mining area. With most of the gold now gone, it’s Pinot Noir making this area famous again.
We look for a wine with many layers and many flavours. The region yields dark, intense wine with purple touches, brooding and developing over time.
We tend to use specific clones to give lovely hints of violet on the nose, backed by ripe cherry and slight smokiness. To describe this wine as "generous" requires contemplation, complex is a better word. Layer packs upon layer: cherry is backed up by raspberry, which is underscored by mulberry, ably propped up by rich mushroom, smokey hints, sweet fruit and a soft round finish.
This one reads like "To Kill a Mocking Bird", more beauty is revealed every time it is revisited.
'Flowers' was the nickname of Brendon Flowerday who was tragically killed on one of our supplying vineyards. This wine was specially blended to remember this young man’s spirit.
The grapes were destemmed directly to press with no skin contact (except for in the truck on the way to the winery.) The juice was fermented at cool temperatures to preserve flavours. The wines were assessed at dryness and blended. Complex layers of passionfruit, tropical fruit and cut grass and an unwavering acid backbone make this a very exciting drop.
The Small Parcel Spitfire Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc derives its name in commemoration of the basing of Spitfire Squadrons in Blenheim during WW2.
WINEMAKING NOTES:
Spitfire is the pinnacle Sauvignon Blanc for Kim Crawford Wines. It represents quality and excellence in every aspect of the viticulture and winemaking process. Fruit for this wine is selected from various vineyard blocks, depending on quality and flavour expression. Because the winery is set up to batch process fruit, we are able to select which fruit makes it into the "Spitfire", blending to desired expression on the palate.
Quality is the only parameter used to grade grapes for this wine, so volume is always limited. We have three or four sites throughout the Marlborough region which are considered to be a level above the rest. 'Spitfire" can come from a blend of vineyards or a single vineyard depending on the season.
We aim for a wine that shows the full Sauvignon flavour spectrum from fresh cut grasses and herbs through to generous amounts of tropical fruit on the palate. We look for the wine to be more elegant and to show constraint. The outstanding features we seek are balance and palate weight. It makes for an extraordinary Sauvignon. An elegant, complex, well balanced wine that improves with bottle age, allowing us to explore yet to be discovered flavour of this much coveted Marlborough varietal.
Our 'Moteo' Viognier is named after a handcrafted vineyard in a valley nestled alongside a picturesque river in Hawkes Bay.
Fruit forward and richly textured, this wine is a true expression of the aromatic intensity of Viognier and the exceptional quality of fruit from this sun drenched vineyard site.
Paul and Jenny Tietjen’s passion for growing world class Chardonnay on their vineyard on the Golden Slopes of Gisborne is second to none. This wine is made from barrels from various sections within one block of the Mendoza clone.
From one of the best ever vintages in this region, these grapes were dejuiced in Gisborne then taken down to Marlborough for ferment. The wine was put to 35 per cent new American oak for the last portion of ferment and from there it underwent natural malolactic fermentation. The wine was in oak for six months before being bottled.
The story behind the label: The seduction of 'The Mistress' stems from the origins of the wine’s fruit. The grapes are grown on the former estate of a wealthy Waipara landowner, a gentleman, who on his regular trips to Christchurch, used the opportunity to make secret visits to his mistress on the journey home.
The wine: From the Waipara region, about three hours south of Marlborough, with its cool nights this is an ideal place to grow Riesling grapes. We seek lime and lemon, nuances of blossoms and good acid balance. Riesling from this region tends to be more generous: it develops a rich luscious palate with tones of honey and limes and lemons, that improve with age.
The wine goes down well at any table decked with Asian food containing coriander / cilantro, ginger, lime and lemon. Soft sweet layers of honey appear after about two years on the bottle. Japanese food with pickled ginger is also a favourite accompaniment.
Our Small Parcel Pinot Gris grape-grower named the vineyard Boyszone after his sons’ interest and potential inheritance of the vines. Collectively known as ‘the boys’, they were often found playing in the vineyard that is remembered in this wine.
WINEMAKING NOTES:
The same climate that gives us the great Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc flavour also gives us some unique Pinot Gris flavours. Pinot Gris is mutation of Pinot Noir, with none of the petulance and demands of its red cousin!
Pinot Gris fruit is grown right across Marlborough, but we source the Boyszone from the Rapaura area where the flavours tend to be a bit more tropical. The slightly wetter climate and riverbed soils give us some extraordinary textures that we are able to carry through to the bottled product.
The flavours of Pinot Gris are delicate, ranging from subtle soft fruit to hints of herbaceousness. We manage the canopy to capture the full patina of flavours. Palate weight is really important in the style of wine, filling and lining the mouth with soft acids and the delicate fruit notes.
We aim for a style that could be described as more Alsatian, capturing the unique Marlborough and New Zealand nature of this grape. Pinot Gris is a good food match, but more importantly, with its bright and attractive features, it can be enjoyed all by itself.
