NEW ZEALAND | WINE
SAVING GRACE
PINOT NOIR 2018
JUST A TASTE
OVERVIEW
SAVING GRACE
PINOT NOIR 2018
NOSE
Tobacco, black olive, herbs
PALATE
Juicy red fruit, leather, tobacco, spice
BODY
Light
PAIRING
Venison, pork, veal, rich fish
CELLAR
Drink now or age 1-5 years
WAIPARA VALLEY
SOUTH ISLAND, NZ
TASTING NOTES
Very light, translucent ruby red color with tobacco and savory woodsy herbs on the nose. Olive, red berries, and leather on the palate with unexpected, pleasant tannins. Very interesting and surprising wine, drinking good now on it's own or with some salmon or rich cheese. -WineTrotting
"Aromas of black olive and herbs lead the way to juicy dark red fruits tempered by a fine tannin profile. Primal and succulent, this Pinot Noir is a real surprise for your senses. Don’t be mislead by the appearance of this wine—the colour belies the depth of flavour and layers of texture and intensity. Hand harvested fruit, including 20% whole bunches was wild fermented and matured for 9 months in French Oak. It was then bottled unfined and unfiltered. Winemaker Brownie’s philosophy with Pinot Noir is to be hands-off, capturing the vivid aromatic profile this site provides, and showing the juicy vibrancy of this fruit."
WINERY
"Saving Grace Wines pay homage to our people and the North Canterbury region. A tricky area to grow grapes, it requires resilience and a love of place. The Nor’ wester is both fierce and benevolent, a friend and foe. The vines grow in the soil and keep us grounded. The hills shield and embrace. Hands tend the vines and pour a glass of wine to welcome you. Wind, nature, mountains, people; our four saving graces. - savinggracewines.com
CELLAR DOOR
Waipara Hills Cellar Door
780 Glasnevin Road
SH1, Waipara
North Canterbury
Tel: 03 314 6900
I hadn't heard much about the Waipara region of the South Island of New Zealand before I traveled through there on my month-long road trip around the country. In fact, a Kiwi had actually told me I could skip it if I wanted to because there "isn't much happening." Ouch. However, I was determined to see every wine region that New Zealand had to offer and since this was on the list, I was going. Plus, I love an underdog.
THE FULL POUR
BLOG
ANOTHER AWESOME AIRBNB WITH SHEEP
The Waipara Valley is about an hour away from Christchurch in the Canterbury region (about midway down the South Island). Like the rest of the country, there are sheep everywhere and I was lucky to have a few of these fuzzy fellows as neighbors at my Airbnb. This one bedroom private apartment was in the backyard of the home of a lovely family with some small children and a good sized property for their sheep, cow, chickens, rabbit, dog, and a big garden.
I had an interesting chat with the super nice father of the house who told me that they raise the sheep and cows for meat that sustains their family for the rest of the year. If you are going to eat meat, it does seem like this is the best way to do it- give the animals a good life first, kill them humanely, use every part you can. It was a little tough to talk about as the cow was standing right in front of me, looking into my soul, but I appreciate what this family is doing to be sustainable and respectful of these creatures.
A PLACE TO STAY, AND A ZOO
After enjoying a lovely sunset and getting choked up while giving a toast to the animals about living life to the fullest while we still can, I woke up the next morning and did some yoga before heading out on the wine trail again. The Waipara region consists of 25 (mostly small, family owned) wineries and only produces about 3% of NZ's wine. I kind of liked that I wasn't overwhelmed by options of where to choose between to go, and found myself spending the day at Pegasus Bay (more coming soon on that one), Greystone, and Waipara Hills.
WAIPARA HILLS WINERY
The gentleman behind the bar in the tasting room seemed a little skeptical of me at first - I don't think they get many tourists in this area, much less single women wearing overalls (the nicest outfit I packed for New Zealand). But after he saw me taking notes and we chatted a bit, he slowly warmed up to me, allowing me to do side by side tastings of varietals from their different labels of wine. "So you can work on your palate," he said to me with an encouraging nod. Dad? Is that you??
BEAUTIFUL TASTING ROOM AND VINEYARD
I asked to start with 3 tastings of different Pinot Gris, which he visibly disapproved of (classic) but poured them for me anyway. They each were pleasant, but weren't my favorite either. I tried two Sauvignon Blancs, the 2018 Waipara Hills and the 2018 Saving Grace. The former was made from grapes grown the Marlborough region, which I swear I immediately could have guessed because of the big tropical fruit and floral nose. ("Did you really guess that, or did you look at the tasting notes first?" DANGIT DAD, WHY WON'T YOU JUST TELL ME THAT YOU ARE PROUD OF ME?!?)
The Saving Grace version, which is all handpicked, had a passionfruit and ripe mango nose but with some dried herbs and a savory finish that made it a little more interesting to me than a typical Sauv Blanc. 20% of this wine is fermented with the skins on so it gives a little bit of tannin and texture that I found quite appealing.
"SAVING GRACE" PINOT NOIR
We then moved on to him telling me that I needed to start thinking about settling down and saving for my future. Just kidding. Next was the Pinot Noir of course, and this time I had 4 tastings back to back: 2017 Waipara Hills, 2016 Soul, 2018 Saving Grace, and 2016 Equinox. It was a great test for my palate to see if I could taste and identify the differences between these bottles of all the same grape. I had been getting in plenty of Pinot exercise so I did alright, but definitely need to keep practicing. Tough life.
All four were tasty, the first one from Waipara Hills being easy and refreshing to drink, with a nice smokey nose. The 2016 Soul had more ripe red fruit than I prefer in my Pinot Noir, but I can see this one being a crowd pleaser because of the good amount of tannin and balancing savory finish. The 2018 Saving Grace was the lightest in color which made the complexity of flavors even more shocking. The smell reminded me of relaxing on a porch of sexy log cabin in the fall (are you with me?), with woodsy herbs and tobacco notes. Savory flavors of olives and leather on the palate worked very well with the juicy red fruit. The last one, the 2016 Equinox, was fun too with some spice, plum, strawberry, and tobacco notes.
RISKED IT ALL FOR YOU, SAVING GRACE
As you probably can tell, I purchased the Saving Grace. It was somewhat of a hard decision, but the guy at Waipara Hills reminded me that if I was already geeking out about the complexity of the Saving Grace with that tobacco, leather, and olive-ness happening, it was probably only going to get even more interesting with age. Plus, there aren't many bottles left in the world of this label. SOLD! Can I have a hug?
I'm going to do my best to age this one, for real this time. It's currently resting in my (real) dad's basement where hopefully my greedy paws won't touch it for a few years. But before I left New Zealand, I took this baby out for it's glamour shots on a hike in Fiordland National Park. The track to Lake Marian (post coming soon), starts with gorgeous, bright blue waterfalls that just demanded a photoshoot. I tell you what, few things make me feel more alive than a great Pinot Noir, the sound of rushing water, and the smell of wet rocks.
... Seems like a weird way to end it, but that's all I got.
"WAIPARA HILLS"
PINOT GRIS
2017
FROM THE WINEMAKER:
"Aromas of red apple, quince and a hint of nougat flows into a textured palate full of pear, apple and ginger, highlighted by a crisp finish."
FROM THE WINETROTTER:
Pear and stone fruit giving some sweetness on the palate with a refreshing acid.
"SOUL"
PINOT GRIS
2017
FROM THE WINEMAKER:
"Aroma: Crisp red apple, pear, nougat and ripe stone fruit. Palate: Following on from the nose, the apple, pear and nougat flow through the palate finishing with the touch of ginger and apricot. Serve lightly chilled with assorted cheeses, nuts and fruit."
FROM THE WINETROTTER:
Little more fruit and flowers on the nose than the Waipara Hills, little more acid crispiness and some baked apple spice note from the little bit of oak aging.
"EQUINOX"
PINOT GRIS
2017
FROM THE WINEMAKER:
"Crisp red apple, quince and nougat and ripe stone fruit. Great with a range of different styles of food. Try with an assortment of cheeses, nuts and dried fruits. Will go well with Salmon and creamy pasta dishes. Will continue to build weight and complexity with age. Best drinking 2018-2020."
FROM THE WINETROTTER:
More bready nose than the others, hint of ginger spice and warmth. Can taste that this one was aged in oak more than the others and has texture from malolactic fermentation.
"WAIPARA HILLS"
SAUVIGNON BLANC
2018
FROM THE WINEMAKER:
"Nose: Classic fresh green herbal notes, touch of snow pea and some tropical notes. Palate: A juicy and pure palate with great drive. Ripe citrus fruits such as lemon and some herbal notes are followed by a river stone/mineralic savouring finish. Pair with shellfish and seafood and green salads."
FROM THE WINETROTTER:
From the Marlborough region so more typical NZ Sauv Blanc profile. No sweetness, tropical fruit and fresh garden nose, little green pepper finish.
"SAVING GRACE"
SAUVIGNON BLANC
2018
FROM THE WINEMAKER:
"A savoury nose sets this wine apart. Dried herbs and mineral characters intrigue the palate, opening doors to layers of texture and density. This is not your typical Sauvignon Blanc—but why would we make that? This wine was grown in Waipara, and it has its own typicity. It’s richness and texture makes it a thinkers wine—something to mull over and provoke conversation, just how we like it."
FROM THE WINETROTTER:
Passionfruit, ripe mango, sweet herbs and a savory finish. This one is aged in older barrels and handpicked. 20% fermented with skins on so it gives it some nice tannins.
"WAIPARA HILLS"
PINOT NOIR
2017
FROM THE WINEMAKER:
"A fruit forward, vibrant Pinot Noir. Nose: Attractive bright red fruits, florals, and a lick of savoury spice to add interest. Brambly red fruits are complemented with layers of earth and spice. A rich fruit approach finishes with satisfying supple tannins. Serve at room temperature with wholesome food such as slow cooked lamb with saffron and smoked garlic."
FROM THE WINETROTTER:
Easy to drink. Bright ruby/garnet color. Smoke and savory nose with berries. Refreshing yet a little earthy.
"SOUL"
PINOT NOIR
2016
FROM THE WINEMAKER:
"Aroma: Cherry, sweet strawberry, dried spice and fresh earth. Palate: Lovely sweet red fruits and leather are followed by a bold structure of fruit tannin. A classic Pinot Noir. Serve at room temperature with a slice of barbequed venison."
FROM THE WINETROTTER:
Ripe red fruit, savory spice, dry tannins.
"SAVING GRACE"
PINOT NOIR
2018
FROM THE WINEMAKER:
"Aromas of black olive and herbs lead the way to juicy dark red fruits tempered by a fine tannin profile. Primal and succulent, this Pinot Noir is a real surprise for your senses. Don’t be mislead by the appearance of this wine—the colour belies the depth of flavour and layers of texture and intensity."
FROM THE WINETROTTER:
Very light, translucent ruby red color with tobacco and savory woodsy herbs on the nose. Olive, red berries, and leather on the palette with unexpected, pleasant tannins. Very interesting and surprising wine, drinking good now on it's own or with some salmon or rich cheese.
"EQUINOX"
PINOT NOIR
2016
FROM THE WINEMAKER:
"Aroma: Juicy red berries, spice, rich cocoa and freshly dug earth. Palate: Nicely textured, rich and complex flavours of sweet red berries. An elegant structure which fills the mouth with ripe fruit tannin and lingers long after the wine's gone. Serve at room temperature with roast lamb or duck."
FROM THE WINETROTTER:
Tobacco, strawberry, plum, and spice on the nose. Ripe tannins and a savory spice finish.