When Kirsten and Richard Searle finally were able to convince Denis Irwin to sell them Matawhero wines in Gisborne, they knew they had a job on their hands.
But with commitment comes satisfaction and the Searles are harvesting that in barrel-loads with the revitalised vineyard producing its first vintage under their tenure.
It helps that the Matawhero brand has been revived with a little help from the Searle’s friends in the close-knit Gisborne winemaking fraternity.
However, that the Searles have been able to produce a 2009 vintage at all after assuming control barely 12 months ago is testament to the duo’s determination to respect the 40-year old brand. A leak-prone homestead and an overgrown vineyard were just two of the issues the Searles faced.
The vineyards were established by the late Bill Irwin in 1968 supplying contract grapes to Poverty Bay wineries. Bill’s son Denis set up the label in the mid-1970s using a small allocation of his father’s grapes.
The label had immediate success with its 1977 Gewürztraminer achieving fourth in a Paris wine show, an illustrious achievement for the day for a new world wine. Denis’ final Matawhero-labelled vintage was in 1999 and he has since retired.
Kirsten and Richard Searle purchased the 15 hectare vineyard and set about revitalising and replanting. But one thing the couple has been determined to maintain is the label’s reputation for producing wines of individual character.
Because grape harvesting from the Matawhero Estate does not resume until next year, Richard and viticulturist Jeremy Hyland have been particular to source contract-grown grapes from specific vineyards. The growers were targeted for the quality and style needed to match Matawhero’s distinct wine flavour profile, Searle says.
Hyland, head viticulturist at Kim Crawford Wines until 2007, is now able to renew his creative partnership with Kim and Erica Crawford at Matawhero who have helped plan the 2010 vintage.
“It has been a marvellous and rewarding experience bringing together this team for our first vintages,” Searle says. “Jeremy has a well-documented ability to provide the desired fruit flavours to the winemaker through intelligent vineyard management.
“All Matawhero grapes are selected and harvested on a flavour basis with the concept of the finished wine profile in the minds of the winemaking and viticulture team when the picking decision is made.”
The winemaker for the 2009 Matawhero vintage is Rebecca Lawrence who was joined in August by Kim Crawford to help with blending this year’s range and preparing for the 2010 vintage.
Current release Matawhero wines have been fermented in stainless steel only to showcase the unadulterated vineyard quality. The yet-to-be-released Merlot is the exception, aging in barrels.
“Our long term aspiration is to re-establish the iconic reputation of Matawhero for premium, single vineyard wines. We also want to showcase Gisborne for what it is - a ‘difficult child’, but when harnessed properly, a fantastic grape growing region,” Searle says.
· The 2009 Matawhero range comprises the vineyard’s renowned Gewürztraminer and a Pinot Gris, both from Briant Vineyard grapes (between Patutahi and Manutuke) and a Sauvignon Blanc from Leaderboard Vineyard grapes (Makaraka)