GOLDWATER ESTATE
NEWSLETTER - AUTUMN 2004
New York Wine Experience
One of the highlights of our 2003 year was our visit to the USA in October where we attended our fourth New York Wine Experience organised by the Wine Spectator magazine. Only those producers whose wines had scored 90 Points or more were invited to attend. Once again we were delighted to receive a "Critics' Choice" Award for our Esslin Merlot 1999. With almost all of the world's greatest winemakers present, it was a very glitzy show and surely must be the only occasion in the world where wine enthusiasts can meet most of the world's greatest wine-makers and taste their wines at the one event. Such famous names as Baron Eric Rothschild from Chateau Lafite, Paul Pontallier from Ch. Margaux, Christian Moueix from Ch. Petrus and Christian Pol Roger from the Champagne house bearing his name were among the elite invitees.
Yours truly with the "Critics' Choice" award at the New York Wine Experience
Recent Awards
Some of the recent awards for our wines include the following:
- "Critics' Choice" Award - The Wine Spectator, NY Wine Experience, October 2003.
- 90 Points - Goldwater Zell Chardonnay 2002, Wine and Spirits Magazine, USA, October 2003.
- 90 Points - Goldwater Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2002, The Wine Spectator magazine.
- 90 Points - Goldwater Roseland Chardonnay 2001, Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
- 89 Points - Goldwater Roseland Chardonnay 2002, The Wine Spectator magazine.
Waiheke Island vs Bordeaux
The verdict from a recent study prepared by Dr Stepen Poletti, based on the last ten years of weather data recorded from our vineyard is that Waiheke's weather is "more like Bordeaux than Bordeaux"! The Goldwater Estate vineyard on Waiheke Island has higher Growing Degree Days (GDD) at 1653, than Bordeaux (1370), Napa (1620), Coonawara (1440) and Hawkes Bay (1500) - the other regions which produce some of the world's greatest Cabernet blends. This study compares almost exactly with the research we did some 25 years ago when deciding which varieties to plant on Waiheke Island and confirms our intitial decision to plant Bordeaux varieties.
Wine Availability
As the Tasting Room is only open for a short festive season each summer, remember that you can usually find our wines at the Glengarry wine shops and the best restaurants and fine wine shops throughout New Zealand and some 25 countries world-wide.
Newsflash
All of our wines are now available through the Cellar Door at our new Marlborough winery, Rapaura Vintners, at the corner of Jackson's and Rapaura Roads in Blenheim.
New Releases
This year, in response to a number of requests, we have decided to include some of our older vintages from our cellar library together with the release of our Goldwater Esslin Waiheke Island Merlot 2002. All of these wines are available in extremely limited quantities only and this offer is only available to our Mail Order customers. If you wish to participate in this offer please fill out the Order Form by clicking the link on this page and send it back to us without delay.
We normally release our Goldwater Zell Waiheke Island Chardonnay at this time, however, this wine has only just been bottled and is now acquiring some bottle age in our cellars. It will be released later in the year.
New Vineyards
The 2004 vintage brings grapes from 4 new Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in Marlborough. We will also pick our first Pinot Noir grapes from an exciting new vineyard in the Awatere Valley in Marlborough and Merlot from a new vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels region of Hawkes Bay.
Our new Pinot Noir vineyard in the Awatere Valley owned and meticulously managed by Fiona Orchard
Charity Auction
Our Annual "Evening in the Vineyard" Art and Wine Charity Auction took place in the Tasting Room at our Waiheke Island vineyard on Saturday 28 February. It was a sell-out - even the rain failing to keep people away - and over $30,000 was raised for local charities. The quality of the artworks and wines so generously donated for the auction make this a not-to-be-missed occasion, so let us know if you would like to be included on the invitation list for next year.
Screw Caps
The cork free screwcap closure that we now use on our wines is becoming recognised by both the trade and consumers alike as the preferred closure for fine wines. After the recent trip to the USA it is now apparent that it will not be very long before most wine will be sealed with this new screwcap technology. The advantage for the consumer is that ther is now a genuine guarantee that they will never have a corked or oxidised wine. However, because of the ability of this new closure to enhance the existing characters of the wine, winemakers will have to be extra careful to ensure that wines sealed with this system are fault free.
Waiheke Island Wine Festival
The second Waiheke Island Wine Festival, held at the end of January, was another outstanding success. Waiheke again demonstrated how different its climate is from Auckland. While it rained torrentially over there, Waiheke remained fine for almost the whole weekend. Prime Bistro again served delicious food and from Texas we had Ginger Leigh singing on the first concert of her New Zealand tour. Sculptor Denis O'Connor also exhibited a selection of wall pieces exploring Waiheke's social history and wine culture called "372 Estate". It is an event not to be missed - look at the Festival website for details of next year's event:
Charity Auction
Our annual "Evening in the Vineyard" Art and Wine Charity Auction took place in the Tasing Room at our Waiheke Island vineyard on Saturday, 28 February. It was a sell-out - even the rain failing to keep people away - and over $30,000 was raised for local charities. The quality of the artworks and wines so generously donated for the auction make this a not-to-be-missed occasion, so let us know if you would like to be included on the invitation list for next year's event.
Goldwater Esslin Waiheke Island Merlot 2002
"A very stylish and elegant red wine with lots of delicious berry fruit up front supported by some very nice oak and fine ripe tannins. Darkly coloured, supple and generous, this is a remarkably graceful wine which is delicious now but will reward careful cellaring."
Click Here for Esslin Merlot Tasting Notes
This is a wine from an excellent vintage and will age gracefully for many years providing very satisfying drinking for those select few who have made the investment.
Availability is extremely limited - only 171 cases were made - so if you want to ensure that you are able to acquire some of this prestigious wine send us your order without delay. The wine will be allocated strictly on a first come first served basis.
Price is $89 per bottle and is available in our stylish wooden six-pack boxes or in combination with the other wines as listed on the Order Form.
Remember that orders must be in multiples of 6 bottles.
