The Bird Wines were some of the unsung heroes of what I tasted and reviewed last year, with three 5-star and two 4-star rated wines from five tasted. This should be no surprise for any industry follower, as winemaker Steve Bird has an illustrious background that goes back around 30 years. Famous for being John Hancock’s right-hand man at Morton Estate and internationally renowned for the Thornbury wines, Steve set up his own family operation sourcing fruit from excellent sites in Marlborough. The ‘Old Schoolhouse’ vineyard in the Omaka Valley featured in the wines reviewed last year. It is named after a historic schoolhouse built in 1896 and situated at the north-end of the vineyard. Here are the latest releases, the whites from a single site in the Rapaura sub-region that performed extremely well.

Bird Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 – 4stars

Brilliant, very pale straw colour with light green hues, near colourless, this is tightly concentrated with intense pungent passionfruit and mineral aromas on the nose. Dry, crisp and zingy, the mouthwatering acidity is a prominent feature, enlivening the citrus, gooseberry and tropical fruit flavours. Tightly bound, the flavours are rich with a luscious aspect very appealing. The wine is very fine textured and the palate carries a long and racy finish with mineral notes lingering. Fruit from a single vineyard in the Rapaura district, cool-fermented with 10% in French oak to13.4% alc. and 4.3 g/L rs, the wine given 3 months lees contact. Match this zesty, mouthwatering and finely lush Sauvignon Blanc with seafood, poultry and salads with goat cheese over the next 2-3 years. 2,500 cases made. 18.0/20 Feb 2012 RRP $24.95

Bird Marlborough Pinot Gris 2011 – 3stars

Bright straw-yellow colour with the faintest hint of a blush with light golden hues. This has a tight, very aromatic, lifted nose of youthful fermentation esters with notes of white peaches, pears and minerals, the bouquet very clear and fresh. Dry to taste, delicate flavours of white stonefruits, flowers with notes of perfume and spices are lifted with esters elements. The flavours are tightly bound with elevated acidity enhancing the linearity of the palate, leading to a steely, crisp and slender finish. Single-vineyard wine, fruit from the Rapaura district, cool-fermented in stainless-steel, a small portion in French oak to 12.9% alc. and 5.1 g/L rs. This is still very youthful and needs a few months for the esters to settle and for the fruit to assert itself. It is an elegant and stylishly trim Pinot Gris to serve with Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese dishes over the next 3-4 years. 1,200 cases made. 16.5+/20 Feb 2012 RRP $24.95

Bird ‘Big Barrel’ ‘Old Schoolhouse Vineyard’ Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010 – 5stars

Fruit from the ‘Old Schoolhouse Vineyard’, Omaka, given a cold soak, then fermented to 13.2% alc. and aged 9 months in 900 L ‘Big Barrels’. The vinification employs the ‘Vernou Roll’ system where the barrel is gently rolled by hand. Brilliant ruby-red colour with slight purple hues, good depth. This is elegant and tight, the bouquet very refined, showing pure red berry fruit, dark red florals and nuances of raspberry liqueur that intensify in the glass. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegantly proportioned, the dark red berry fruits a little restrained, but with subtle richness that is enhanced by elevated, racy acidity and fine-grained tannins that result in a silky and slippery texture. Delicate oak spice and savoury nuances emerge and linger on a sustained, dry finish. This is a refined and near ethereal Pinot Noir with finesse and fine mouthfeel. Match with poultry and pork over the next 5-6+ years. 1,100 cases made. 18.5-/20 Feb 2012 RRP $36.95

We’re very pleased to announce that our 2009 Big Barrel Pinot Noir won gold, further adding to its string of current medals – Pure Gold from the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, and silver medal and Best in Class from the London International Wine Competition.

Our other bright starlet, the 2010 Bird Riesling, won silver at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards – another accolade to sit alongside its Gold medal from the NZ International Wine Show and Blue Gold from the Sydney International Top 100.

“A beautifully fragrant nose showing red cherry, vanilla and thyme notes. An engaging palate with rounded texture and a firm finish.” – Pure Gold, judges tasting notes 2010 Air New Zealand Wine Awards

Silver medal and Best in Class – London International Wine & Spirits Competition

“What a beauty! The bouquet is beautifully perfumed displaying red/black cherry, spice and vanillin oak with a hint of dried herbs. It’s silky smooth and generously textured on the palate with a rounded mouthfeel and gently firm finish. The wine is immensely appealing and drinkable with excellent fruit intensity and lovely complexity. At its best: now to 2014.” – 5 stars, Sam Kim, www.wineorbit.co.nz

“This youthful Pinot Noir is already showing complexity in its fragrance and flavour. The fruit is impressively pure, both in terms of variety and region with ripe, refined flavours of cherry and dried herbs underpinned with notes of chocolate and oak. The palate expresses Pinot Noir’s captivating ability to show masculine power along with feminine grace and elegance – all in one glass. The influence of oak is perfectly integrated and the tannins are soft, smooth and inviting. A lingering mineral note is apparent on the finish.
Occasionally a wine comes along that shows just how well a region can express a variety and this is one of those wines. Buy this wine now – it is destined to become a classic!”
- Colin Ford, Winetradeonline.co.nz

“Light ruby-red with youthful purple hues to the colour, this has a full, lovely aromatic nose of bright, fresh raspberry and dark cherry aromas. The bouquet is enveloping and complete, with an ethereal aspect. The palate features a fine-textured core of silky tannins that form a refined structure housing ripe raspberry and black berry fruit flavours. Delicate strawberry and floral nuances are carried on the long, sustained finish. A wine to match salmon, poultry and pork dishes over the next 5-7 years. Fruit from the ‘Old Schoolhouse’ vineyard in Omaka, given a cold soak and fermented to 14.0% alc. The wine was aged 9 months in oak. Large 900L barrels were used for fermentation and maturation.” 5 stars, 18.5+/20, Raymond Chan www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz

“Full-bodied, moderately rich red with ripe cherry, plum and slight herb flavours, a gentle oak influence, and plenty of drink-young appeal” 3.5 stars, Michael Cooper, Winestate Magazine

“Red cherry fruit flavours with a little rhubarb and a note of smoky bacon from quality oak. There’s a reasonable concentration on the palate and the oak is very well integrated. Tight grained tannins.” – WineNZ

2010 Bird Sauvignon Blanc

“This is so succulent and tasty with lime, stonefruit and herbaceous flavours. The palate is powerfully flavoured and fruity showing refreshing acidity and excellent mid palate weight. Fabulous drinking. At its best: now to 2013.” 5 stars, Sam Kim, www.wineorbit.co.nz

“An exceptionally refined Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that exudes finesse. Very pale straw-yellow in colour with suggestions of green hues, this has a tightly bound nose of English gooseberries, citrus fruit and minerals, lifted with an attractive tropical fruit nuance. Dry on palate, this has subtle, restrained flavours of gooseberries with lime flowers. The acidity is soft and fine and contributes to the beautiful purity.” 5 stars, 18.5/20, Raymond Chan, www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz

“A classically fruit forward dry Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Tropical, with sweet herbs and firm acidity, it is a bright and lively wine.” 4 stars, www.Tizwine.com

Pure silver medal – Air New Zealand Wine Awards

“A funky wet-stone note harmonises with white peach flavours.” – 4 stars, Cuisine Magazine

2010 Bird Pinot Gris

“A gently expressed Pinot Gris showing ripe peach, citrus and pear characters on the nose. The palate is well fruited and lively with nicely integrated acidity and a lingering tasty finish. A well balanced and smooth wine with a wide appeal. At its best: now to 2012.” 4 stars, Sam Kim, www.wineorbit.co.nz
2010 Bird Riesling

Gold medal – New Zealand International Wine Show

Blue Gold medal – Sydney Top 100 International Wine Competition

“A beautifully crafted Riesling with a pure varietal expression. The nose is youthful and fragrant, displaying floral, stonefruit and lemon/lime characters. It’s tightly structured on the palate, yet generously flavoured, showing a touch of sweetness (6 g/l), racy acidity and a fabulously long crisp finish. The wine has an immediate appeal but should age nicely too. At its best: now to 2018.” 5 stars, Sam Kim, www.wineorbit.co.nz

“Very pale straw-yellow with a pale edge to the colour, this has an elegant, very fine and tightly expressed nose of acacia florals and minerals. This has delicacy and a range of beautiful aromatic nuances that emerge in the glass. Dry on palate, this has lovely, intense, focussed, fresh lime, floral and mineral flavours with superb, fine acidity. This wine exudes sheer class.” 5 stars, 19.0/20 Raymond Chan www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz

Bird’s winemaking talent was rewarded again this week when his 2009 Old Schoolhouse Vineyard Pinot Noir won a ‘pure gold’ medal at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards – one of only two Marlborough wineries to achieve pure gold for Pinot Noir.

Pure gold medals are awarded to outstanding wines that are 100 per cent sustainably-grown and produced. The annual competition – which is New Zealand’s premier wine event – saw almost 1600 wines entered from 10 key wine growing regions.

“To win a pure gold medal this week is a terrific complement. Adding an Air New Zealand Wine Awards gold medal to your label is a guaranteed way of boosting sales because consumers know they will be buying an outstanding wine.”

Bird produces his Pinot Noir in “Vernou Roll Fermenters” – a process he has pioneered for this varietal using specially designed 900lt barrels. He describes his 2009 vintage as a complex, voluptuous wine exhibiting dark berry fruit, plum and cherry aromas and flavours with a hint of spice and chocolate.

The winemaker’s 2010 Bird Sauvignon Blanc took out a silver medal at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards and his 2010 Bird Riesling was awarded a bronze medal – both wines are from the Old Schoolhouse Vineyard in Marlborough.

This week’s announcement of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards follows three days of judging and precedes a gala dinner on Saturday 20 November in Auckland, where sought-after trophies and elite gold medal winners will be announced.

But Bird’s golden run does not end there.

The local winemaker has just learned he will also be awarded a prestigious Blue Gold medal for his 2010 Riesling at Sydney’s International TOP 100 Wine Competition. His 2010 Riesling is already an award-winner, having picked up a gold medal at this year’s New Zealand International Wine Show held in September.

“It’s very gratifying to be acknowledged at both a national and international level like this. 2010 is one of the best vintages I’ve seen in three decades thanks to the long, dry and cool growing conditions at our vineyard in Marlborough,” Bird says.

The Sydney International Wine Competition is designed to help diners choose outstanding wines to complement the dishes for their dining table. A panel of 12 international experts judged up to 2000 entries before deciding on their TOP 100 list.

Bird Wines are distributed through Ballande New Zealand and are available through fine wine retailers nationwide and selected bar and restaurants.

Download tasting notes for both the 2009 Bird Big Barrel Pinot Noir and the 2010 Bird Riesling.