Millton Libiamo Gewurztraminer 2020
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Winemaker Notes
Lifted fragrance of cardamom and Moroccan market spice, pink rose petal and a puckered texture beg a collection of foods and a group of friends. Picked by hand, fermented on skins for 119 days then pressed to old barrels. Bottled later without any fining or filtration. It is cloudy and offers a perfect journey from our place to your glass.
In 1984 James and Annie Millton established The Millton Vineyard on the banks of the Te Arai River near Manutuke, where the early settlers first planted grapevines in 1871. This region is situated on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand in the wine appellation of Gisborne.
Originally Annie’s father, Mr John Clark, had developed vineyards on his estate at ‘Opou’ in Manutuke during the late 1960's. James and Annie returned to Gisborne after experience
gained in the famous wine regions of France and Germany including Champagne Bollinger, Maison Sichel in Bordeaux and Weingut Kurstner in Rheinhessen. By 1983 they had extensively researched and replanted major parts of the families’ grape growing business, before establishing The Millton Vineyard in 1984.
The Millton Vineyard’s three individual Gisborne vineyards; Opou, Te Arai and the Clos de Ste. Anne are located in Manutuke. The unique character of the appellation is its proximity to the influence of the Pacific Ocean together with the geologically youthful sedimentary soils. Cooling sea breezes keep the climate friendly and temperate in high summer. Traditional viticulture is practiced in all vineyards and all are dry-farmed, with no insecticide, herbicide, systemic fungicide or soluble fertilisers used.
Gewürztraminer, an expressive and aromatically distinctive white grape variety, is considered a noble variety in the Alsace region of France, and produces wonderful wines in the mountainous Alto Adige region of NE Italy. Generally this grape grows well in cooler regions and its natural intensity makes it a great ally for flavorful cuisine such as Indian, Middle Eastern or Moroccan. Somm Secret—Because of a charming perfume and tendency towards slight sweetness, Gewürztraminer makes for an excellent gateway wine for those who love sweet wines but want to venture into the realm of drier whites.
Occupying the North Island’s East Cape, Gisborne keeps The Bay of Plenty to its northwest and Hawkes Bay on its southwestern side. It is the country’s most distinctive producer of Chardonnay, with heavy investment here until Sauvignon blanc stole the country’s limelight. Gisborne produces soft and charming Chardonnay, boasting stone and tropical fruit flavors.
The region includes a good number of artisanal winemakers but many larger Auckland producers source from Gisborne for their own Chardonnay bottlings.