Welcome
to our Harvest 2008 Field Notes
The sun is shining here in Marlborough and we’re at the beginning of what’s set to be another fab harvest. Autumn is kind to Marlborough, providing perfect ripening and harvest conditions; warm, sunny, still days. It’s my favourite time of year.
Seafood & Savvy
in First Place
Highfield’s tasting trio of seafood created by Highfield chef Matt Gibson and matched with Highfield Sauvignon Blanc has just won the Marlborough Wine Festival’s 25th Anniversary Food/Wine match. To celebrate 25 years of wine festivals in Marlborough, the committee invited Marlborough winery restaurants to enter and promote a wine and food match leading up to this years wine festival. The dish was on offer at Highfield for two weeks prior to the festival and diners who chose to indulge in this match completed feedback forms which assisted with the judge’s decision. There was some stiff competition but Highfield, once again, showed their passion and commitment to wine and food by creating a perfect match. Matt and his team combined scallops, crab and cod to create this winning dish. The combination of minerals and oils in the seafood, together with the ripe tropical flavours of the Sauvignon Blanc were sensational.
Al Notes
Harvest 2008
Thursday 13 March saw the first of our 2008 vintage fruit arrive at the winery. Of course the crew had to celebrate this special day with a keg of Grolsch Beer. The chardonnay grapes for the Elstree Cuvée Brut were the earliest in this year. They were hand picked and delicately pressed in the customary cuvée manner. The pinot noir grapes for the Elstree will come in next and then it will be all go. So think of us at Highfield over the long weekends and all of April while we’re working away day in, day out, picking and pressing the finest fruit to bring you the best of the 2008 vintage wines.
Cheers
Al Soper, Winemaker
Vineyard Manager Profile
David Craig
We are pleased to introduce Highfield’s new Vineyard Manager David Craig. In 1998 Dave graduated from studying Grape Growing and Winemaking at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Starting the hands on part of his career in two prominent Hawkes’s Bay vineyards, Dave then moved to Marlborough in 2003 to take on a vineyard management role on Rapaura Road. Dave has a huge passion for growing premium grapes and loves following the process from the vineyard, into the winery and beyond to the market place. Naturally as a Vineyard Manager he believes that all great wines are made in the Vineyard!
Current Releases & Reviews
Highfield Sauvignon Blanc 2007
A full, ripe, rounded style displaying tropical fruit flavours and an edge of zesty citrus. Sensual, fleshy and charming. Another standout from the winery whose Italianate tower has become a Marlborough icon.
Cuisine Magazine January 2008 – Top 3 NZ Sauvignon Blanc
Elite gold medal, Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2007
Highfield Riesling 2007
Lovely wine with a floral, slightly perfumed and fruit tinged nose. Forceful, fresh, pure fruit impact has immediate juicy sweetness and a fresh edge of crisp acidity. Mid palate is suave and fresh, its sweeter depths harmonised with acid freshness. It lingers nicely at the end.
Truewines 2008, Keith Stewart
Highfield Chardonnay 2006
Yellow wildflower and grapefruit highlights over a nutty, mealy aromatic base of folled oats and caramel. Hazelnut, lime cordial and dandelion oil notes feature in a surprisingly light front, quickly overtaken by flavoursome grapefruit tones, which wax noticeably as the wine progresses. Fantastic with a roast snapper, scallops, or even hard cheese. This is a well balanced food wine with a long, savoury tail.
Truewines 2008, David Stewart
Highfield Pinot 2006
This wine had a lot of heavy dark oak toast which dominated the nose initially. However it had some good concentration of fruits, juicy red fruit characters and very fine tannins. It was clearly a well made wine. Just a touch too much oak for my liking. However the oak tannins proved to be quite effective in taking out the duck fat in this dish. A good match and I rated it up for that reason.
Sydney International Wine Competition 2008, Paul White
Blue gold medal, Sydney International Wine Competition 2008
Sorry, we’ve sold out of Elstree Cuvée Brut 2003 – the 2004 will be available in May 2008. Plus both our summer wines have gone; Rosé 2007 - look out for the 2008 towards the end of the year. As for the experimental DT Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - we have no plans of making another style like this anytime soon.
Harvest Mix Case Special
3 bottles of each: Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Riesling 2007, Chardonnay 2006 and Pinot Noir 2006. $299 per case – save $38.50 and get free delivery New Zealand wide. Click on 'where to buy' at the top of this email or reply with your order.
That’s all from us here. I best be off to help with harvest.
All the best
Naomi Galvin, Direct Sales
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