[Provided by The Antipodean, Tongue Farm Road, Matakana, North Auckland New Zealand]
The Antipodean
PO BOX 5, MATAKANA
PH 64-9-422 7957
FAX
64-9-422 7656
HISTORY
The Antipodean is a wine made at Matakana, Northland New Zealand. It is made from a single vineyard and the blend is of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and malbec.
The vineyard was planted in the late 1970's.
The wine was first released in 1987 when the 1985 vintage in a rehoboam bottle attained a record price of $5,100.
The wine was launched in New Zealand then tasted in England and France. It was hailed as "New Zealand's Lafite" [french Count Jean De St Charles] and as "the first real red wine" [wine writer Nicholas Faith] to come out of New Zealand.
As an English wine merchant remarked in 1987 "It is not typical of the brash, all powerful but lacking in grace style, usually found in the New World. It has extraordinary finesse and a beautifully persistent aroma, that lasts and lasts. A truly harmonious, graceful and balanced wine. It is a wine for the connoisseur it is unique."
Diplomat and writer Philip Morrice wrote "I have had the extraordinary privilege of being the first to taste the '87 vintage and to compare it with the '85 and '86. The earlier wines had already established their greatness. The '87 is undoubtedly superior, beyond greatness comes perfection . This is what has been achieved with The Antipodean '87..."
After tasting the wines against 1982 first growths a wine broker who had trained in Spurrier’s Paris cellars remarked "When do we turn in our 1982 first growths for the l987Antipodean?"
On several occasions the wine was tasted against first growths such as Haut Brion and Ausone and judged to be better or one point apart. The wine has excited interest overseas particularly in Britain ,Germany and Singapore. The wine has lived up to the accolades which attended its early debut and has exceeded expectations.
It is regarded as a wine of first growth quality but not first growth price although it is the most expensive New Zealand wine.
The Wine
Is the product of rigorous selection at every stage from the flowering in the vineyard to the aging in the cellars.
The grapes are pruned to limit production and when green any late bunches are removed for verjus. The grapes are then picked at maximum ripeness and fermented on the wild yeasts which live in the vineyard. The vineyard is increasingly run on organic lines with a view to achieving that status eventually.
There is no chemical adjustment made to the wine. Nothing is added apart from miniscule amounts of sulphur (usually less than ten parts per million). Fermentation is in open top fermenters and there is a lengthy maceration followed by a gentle pressing. The wine is not filtered but instead is gently fined and clarified with egg whites in the same way that top french wineries, such as Petrus fine their wines. The wine matures in new french chateau model barriques which are only used once. Up to two years after it is picked each vintage reaches the bottling stage.
The production is tiny. From a vineyard of about 4 acres [1.8 hectares]
the production varies from 200 to-300 cases.Quality is paramount. An example of this was the decision not to make any of The Antipodean wine from the 1995 vintage as it was deemed that the year was not good enough to meet the high standards of the winery. A sample batch was kept for library purposes which will not be sold and the balance was sold under another label.
The wine is mainly exported but a select few places in New Zealand stock the wine
including:
Huka Lodge, Taupo; Millbrook Resort, Queenstown; Petit Lyon, Wellington; Bouquet Garni,
Wellington; Five City Road, Auckland; Divis, Havelock North; Perugino’s Restaurant,
Auckland; Antoines, A uckland and The CASTLE MATAKANA, Matakana.
Stones of Belgravia, London; 41 Restaurant, Sydney; and the Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore; are three examples of offshore commercial outlets but the rarity of the wine will ensure that the wine will remain in the desmesne of a select few locally and internationally.
Matakana
The following article was published in the NBR June 1st 2001 p20. http://www.nbr.co.nz/JUN_01_2001/p20-1.html
By Nicholas Bryant
Mystery surrounds the Antipodean, the sort of wonderful mystery that makes wine so romantic. It was perfect for the heady 1980s, with its price tag and rarity or at least it was perfect for New Zealand in the 1980s.
Now, wines made by Michelle Chignell-Vuletic and her husband, Pete Vuletic, at The Antipodean, near Matakana, north of Auckland, are perfect for the world.
They are perfect for the world because they are brilliant, in my opinion the best red wines produced in this country.
I don't make that claim lightly, or without some trepidation, as almost no local wine writer ever says anything about wines made at The Antipodean.
Granted, these wines are expensive, but they're cheap compared with the great French and Californian wines that lie next to them in cellars around the world. And of course they're expensive the Vuletics crop their 2ha by the kilo, not the tonne. "It's extreme winemaking," Mr Vuletic said. "Everything is extreme."
But the people who buy are not just the megamillionaires, one of whom recently picked up 22 cases and deposited them back on his yacht. They're interested people, tilers, house painters and the grower of grapes for Martinborough's infamous Drogemullerthurgau.
The benchmark wine made at The Antipodean is the property's namesake, The Antipodean. For this blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and malbec, the vines were planted in the late 1970s.
Tuesday night was a dream, a fine meal, fascinating company and 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1997 vintages of The Antipodean, as well as the 1993 Obiter, a 100% cabernet sauvignon made in years when good flowering produces too much of the variety for blending in the benchmark wine.
What immediately strikes you about the wines is they pack less wallop, but not less flavour, than top local, Australian and other new world reds. The wines have subtlety and finesse but are by no means fragile. Anyone who has drunk them will know what I mean the wines have harmony, fragrance, length and seamless integration of character.
Light in colour with brickish hues, the 1990 still has a luscious, sweet, grapey nose with an edge of smoky bacon. On the palate it's sweet plum, smoke and candied cherry with an impressive lasting presence.
The 1992 had much brighter colour with more pronounced plum on the nose and richer stewed plum on the palate along with blackcurrant and honeysuckle characters. "This won't hit its peak for 20 years," Mr Vuletic said confidently.
Then the 1994, fresh and lively with a savoury nose of raw kidneys, unbelievable depth of sweet fruit and beautiful oak integration.
The 1997 is the first time merlot has taken the place of cabernet sauvignon as the majority variety, about 65%, in the blend. Quite light in appearance, it is a wine of greater depth and possibility than its colour suggests. A chocolatey nose with hints of sweet earth set you up for an "utterly feminine wine a Catherine Deneuve, not a Rachel Hunter."
With hints of cherry and once again sweet plums I found it delicious but was firmly told "it's too young."
There is only one retailer, and it stocks only the Vuletics' wine, Zarbo deli in Newmarket. It has 1990, 1993 and 1997 vintages of The Antipodean for $160-195 a bottle, as well as magnums of the 1990 and 1993 for $400 and $350, respectively. Also on sale is the 1993 Obiter, $175 a bottle, which I suggest cabernet sauvignon lovers latch on to while they can.
I could say so much more, but in a word it is ripe.
For order information phone or fax the winery or email m.chignell@xtra.co.nz