9/12/2009

Best White Wine Buy of the Year – Michael Cooper’s Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wines 2010

Eradus Awatere Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009

5 Stars

The 2008 scooped several gold medals and five-star ratings on both sides of the Tasman, and the past three vintages each waltzed away from the Air New Zealand Wine Awards with a gold medal. So why is the 2009 so cheap?

‘If you over-deliver on quality, it’s so much easier to sell the wine,’ says Michael Eradus.

When I first tasted this wine, I jotted down: ‘Weighty, rich, rounded, with sweet fruit characters, notably concentrated gooseberry/lime flavours, hints of tomato stalk, and a slightly minerally streak.’ After its identity was revealed, I added: ‘Priced sharply.’

Eradus attributed his wine’s quality, above all else, to the Awatere Valley, ‘just a wonderful place. Anyone who visits in the height of summer will instantly understand why many grapes from here are so delicious.’ I’ve done exactly that. After a long, hot, sun-baked day, around midnight I stepped out from a friend’s house into the darkness – and a key lesson on the Awatere’s grape-growing climate. It was freezing.

Eradus sees the valley as a source of Sauvignon Blancs with ‘complexity, intrigue and certain unique characters. The characters I mention are the mineral and flinty backbone, in addition to clean and racy acidity, followed by a crisp and lingering finish.’ He also fairly describes his wine as possessing ‘concentration, but with delicacy, elegance and femininity’.

Michiel and his wife Hanna took over the reins of Michiel’s parents’ vineyard in the lower Awatere Valley in 2004. Har and Sophie Eradus spent 20 years in the flower industry before they launched the Eradus label in 2002.

The company-owned Breloft Vineyard, in the lower Dashwood, runs for 2 kilometres alongside the Awatere River, in a series of undulating terraces. Of the total 12 hectares of vines, 7 hectares are devoted to Sauvignon Blanc. Eradus also draws grapes from a friend’s Te One vineyard, 3 kilometres down the road.

Key members of the Eradus production team include viticulturist Jeremy Hyland and winemaker Jules Taylor. With a production level of 12,500 cases, the wine is distributed nationwide, mostly through independent retailers, but it can also be found in some supermarkets.

Peter Thornley, executive chef at Kermadec Restaurant, in Auckland, especially recommends it with whitebait.