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Wine Orbit

Your Ultimate New Zealand Wine Review

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, September 2010

Akarua Pinot Gris 2009 Central Otago, 93 Points,  5 Stars

This is an impressively luscious Pinot Gris displaying peach, pear and floral characters on the nose. The palate is full and generously flavoured showing appealing sweetness (9 g/l), smooth texture and perfectly balanced acidity. The wine shows excellent mid palate weight and mouthfeel, often lacking in many Pinot Gris. Fabulously delicious. At its best: now to 2013. 13.5% Screw cap. www.akarua.com. Aug 2010.

Akarua Pinot Noir 2009 Central Otago, 93 Points, 5 Stars

A beautifully refined Pinot displaying red/black cherry, plum and hints of game and cocoa characters on the nose. The palate is elegant yet concentrated showing silky texture and fine-grained tannins. A youthful and restrained wine with potential to blossom given time, as the wine is perfectly balanced and poised. At its best: 2011 to 2015. 14% Screw cap. www.akarua.com. Aug 2010.

Akarua Reserve Pinot Noir 2009 Central Otago, 95 Points, 5 Stars

From their estate vineyard in the Bannockburn district, this outstanding young Pinot displays lovely perfumed bouquet of red/black cherry, floral, cedar and spice. The palate is seductive and beautifully textured with fine, chalky tannins. The flavours are beautifully woven to show a seamless mouthfeel and an extra-long finish. The wine is youthful and yet to show its full glory, but with further time in the bottle it should turn into a breathtaking beauty. At its best: 2011 to 2017. 14.7% Screw cap. www.akarua.com. Aug 2010. 

Great profile on Matt Connell and the next generation of leadership at Akarua in the latest issue Cuisine September issue (page 142 / 143) and what a beautiful cover - the prettiest Lamb Butterfly we’ve ever seen.

Download profile as a PDF.

Akarua, Central Otago's largest family owned single vineyard and winery, has released three wines from the 2009 vintage, which is the first vintage to be made by winemaker, Matt Connell. These wines are also the first release under the leadership of the next generation of the Skeggs family with Sir Clifford's son, David Skeggs, now at the helm of the business.

To celebrate these milestones, David instigated a complete overhaul of Akarua's brand. Akarua founder Sir Clifford Skeggs, was insistent that any re-branding work must still retain the emblematic New Zealand Alpine Daisy, Selmisia Semicordata – a symbol that fragile beauty can still be achieved even if survival is a struggle in harsh climates such as those found in Central Otago. "The daisy is now a majestic copper orb that radiates and strengthens the Akarua brand both visually and emotively whilst retaining a modern classic look that we believe will last for decades ahead", was David's response to the new logo and label.

When Matt Connell moved from Olssens wines to Akarua late in 2008, he was asked by David Skeggs to re-examine the structure of the winery. This resulted in investment for enough additional tank capacity to take the entire crop at one time if ever required. Effectively this means that the wines spend as long as they need in tank without being moved into barrels in a rush to make room for further grapes. Having the ability to press each block only as it is ready is a luxury most other wineries don't have and will help ensure that the wine reaches its maximum potential all the way through from the vineyard to the glass.

The three wines being released are Akarua Pinot Gris 2009, Akarua Pinot Noir 2009 and Akarua Reserve Pinot Noir 2009. The Akarua Pinot Noir replaces the 'Gullies' and the inaugural Akarua Reserve Pinot Noir replaces "Cadence" and will remain a barrel selection but will only be produced in years where quality is exceptional. The Akarua Reserve Pinot Noir will highlight what Matt considers to be the very best attributes of the site; Power, richness and complexity.

Matt is delighted with the 2009 wines stating; "I moved to Akarua because I had always admired the vineyard site and the wines that the site had produced. The Skeggs family have given me the support required to take the wines to the next level". He added that "additional vine age and having our own dedicated viticulturist, Gillian Wilson and vineyard and winery team solely focused on our site have also had a significant impact on the 2009 and 2010 wines".

Both the vineyard and winery at Akarua have New Zealand Winegrowers Sustainability accreditation and the team have taken this a step further by bottling 99% of the wines in lightweight glass making Akarua the first winery in Central Otago to do so.

Akarua's strong Pinot Noir track record began with the Akarua 2002 Pinot Noir winning Champion Wine of the Show at the 2003 Air New Zealand Wine Awards and top scoring Pinot Noir in Cuisine Magazine that same year. Last year, the Akarua Cadence 2007 Pinot Noir was also awarded Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Challenge and the Akarua Gullies 2007 Pinot Noir was awarded Blue Gold at the Sydney International Wine Challenge, re-asserting the quality and consistency of Akarua Pinot Noir.

Akarua is available throughout New Zealand and is distributed by Hancocks Wine & Spirit Merchants Ltd. For more information please call or e-mail Matt Connell on 03 445 4292, 027 434 4761, matt@akarua.com or Jacqui Murphy on 03 445 0897, 027 668 6556, jacqui@akarua.com or via www.akarua.com