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Mt. Beautiful Wines, New Zealand - February 2018

Caverhill Farm - Our Sheep go for a Dip!

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Caverhill Farm Sheep Dip
Our vineyard and winery crews are ramping up for harvest, but on our Caverhill Farm (960 hectares) Hamish our Farm Manager, and his team are taking our Corriedale sheep in for a "dip." The fungicide / insecticide solution the sheep are showered in helps protect them against infestation by flies and parasites. It's a vital step taken to protect the sheep and their wool prior to shearing.

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Harvest 2018 is on the Horizon!

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The 2018 harvest sits on the horizon, maybe only a month away. Our winery and vineyard teams are readying themselves for what is the most important event of the year both inside the winery and out in the vineyard. 

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Earlier this month our Vineyard Manager, Garrick Guy, shared this photo that shows veraison happening in our Pinot Noir vineyard blocks. Veraison is a French term that means the grapes are changing color, and this indicates the onset of ripening.  

As the grapes ripen, the risk of animals eating them (and thus destroying the crop) increases drastically. In some countries, such as South Africa, it’s the baboons you have to watch out for. In Tuscany, it’s the wild boar. But all across the world, birds are unanimously a threat to vineyard crops.  

We mitigate damage made by birds a couple of  different ways. In addition to having dedicated team members tirelessly ride quad bikes up and down the rows of vines, honking their horns to scare off birds, we also employ the use of technology.  Last year we invested in a powerful vineyard netting machine, which can cover four rows of vines at a time. This proved to not only be a huge time saver, but also great insurance in preserving our crop from the threat of birds.  

Turns out that the net doesn’t keep ALL the critters out, as indicated by the photo below. 

 Jackrabbit Mt. Beautiful Vineyard

It seems hardly feasible that this image was caught to begin with. Here's a statement from our Vineyard Manager about this frolicking furry fellow: "One of the guys managed to take this photo of a sneaky critter hiding under the nets keeping guard.” 

In closing, here’s a photo of our Pinot Noir posted by Erin, our Business Development and Operations Manager, with this caption: "Not long now......?”

 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir in the Vineyard

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Michael Cooper's 2018 Buyers' Guide

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Michael Cooper reviewed several Mt. Beautiful vintages which were included in his 2018 Buyers’ Guide:

2015 Chardonnay: 4 Stars, -V
Estate-grown at Cheviot, north of Waipara, the 2015 vintage (4*) was handled in an even split of tanks and seasoned French oak casks. Pale lemon/green, it has a creamy bouquet, leading into a mouthfilling, softly textured wine with vibrant, ripe stone-fruit flavours to the fore, hints of biscuity oak adding complexity, balanced acidity and a slightly buttery finish. Drink now or cellar. Drink 2017 – 2012.

2015 Pinot Gris: 4 Stars, -V
The 2015 vintage (4*) was estate-grown at Cheviot and handled in tanks (90 per cent) and old oak casks (10 per cent). Light lemon/green, it is sturdy (14.5 per cent alcohol), fleshy and rounded, with generous, ripe, peachy, slightly spicy flavours and a fully dry, creamy-smooth finish. Drink 2017 – 2019.

2015 Pinot Noir: 3+ stars, -V
Maturing gracefully, the 2015 vintage (4*) was estate-grown at Cheviot, north of Waipara, and matured for a year in French oak barriques. Full-coloured, it is sturdy, with good weight and strong, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, slightly nutty and savoury. Developing good complexity, it should be at its best mid-2018+. Drink 2016 – 2022.

2016 Riesling: 4 stars, -V
Estate-grown at Cheviot, the racy 2016 vintage (4*) is a pale lemon/green, highly scented wine, light to medium-bodied, with strong, lively lemon/apple flavours, a minerally streak, and a gently sweet (13 grams/litre of residual sugar), crisp finish. Drink now or cellar. Drink 2017 – 2025.

2016 Sauvignon Blanc: 4 Stars, -V
Estate-grown at Cheviot, north of Waipara, the light lemon/green 2016 vintage (4.5*) is a sturdy, weighty wine, with excellent vigour and concentration of ripe passionfruit/lime flavours, finely balanced, dry, crisp and long. Drink now or cellar. Fine value. Drink 2017 – 2019.

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Weekend Wine Notes: 15 Sauv Blancs

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Bigger Than Your Head, Fredric Koeppel

A passel of sauvignon blanc wines today, most from California, but one from New York, a pair from Chile and one from New Zealand are included. With three exceptions, these are from vintage 2016. Prices range from about $14 to $50, and a number of real bargains can be found. As is typical with the Weekend Wine Notes, I eschew most technical, historical, geological/geographical and personnel data for the sake of quick and incisive reviews, ripped, as it were, from the pages of my notebooks and designed to pique your interest and stimulate the palate. Enjoy! And always consume in moderation.

Mt. Beautiful Sauvignon Blanc 2016, North Canterbury, New Zealand. 14.1% alc. Pale gold; lime zest and green bean, grapefruit and pea-shoot, gooseberry and roasted fennel, with penetrating notes of iodine and seashell; a pert, tart and sassy sauvignon blanc that tickles the palate with an herbal edge and bright acidity; a bracing, saline finish. Rich with nuance and not exaggerated. Excellent. About $16, a Great Bargain.

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Selected as Editor's Pick in Wine Spectator Magazine!

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Wine Spectator, MaryAnn Worobiec, January / February, 2018 

"This stunning property with 184 acres of vineyards is located in a remote corner of New Zealand's South Island. North Canterbury might not be a familiar winegrowing region yet, but there's lots of potential, as demonstrated by Mt. Beautiful's distinctive wines. Founder David Teece is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, and is one of the most widely cited economic and business scholars in the world. He picked this spot in his home country to plant vineyards in part because he wants to tell the new and exciting story of an emerging wine region. His project benefits from the experience of CEO Robert Watkins and viticulturist Fin Grieve.-M.W."

Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir North Canterbury 2015
91 | $28 | 2,780 cases made
Comprising a mix of 13 different Pinot Noir clones, half of them Burgundy clones, this wine reveals its complexity on the finish.

Mt. Beautiful Riesling North Canterbury 2016
90 | $22 | 665 cases made
Shows great intensity, with crisp acidity and fresh citrus flavors. The wine is a blend of grapes from two distinct blocks of the vineyard, higher-elevation sites sheltered by a pine forest.

Mt. Beautiful Sauvignon Blanc North Canterbury 2016
89 | $16 | 12,100 cases made
North Canterbury Sauvignon Blancs are less aggressive than their Marlborough counterparts, showcasing melon flavors and suppler texture. 

Mt. Beautiful Chardonnay North Canterbury 2015
88 | $22 | 1,100 cases made
Notable for its plump, creamy texture, this wine blends grapes that were both tank- and barrel-fermented, finding excellent balance.

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Name of the licence holder: Dionysus Ventures Limited
Licence number: 57/OFF/411/2023
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