Black Estate

Like so many in Waipara, this is a family business. The original Black Estate, in Omihi, a little further north of Waipara than Mountford and Greystone (as shown on this map), was planted by Russell Black in 1993/94, working with pioneering viticulturist and Pinot Noir proponent Danny Schuster*. Rod Naish and his family bought 8 ha of the estate in 2007 and they have since planted nearly 4 more. Naish's son in law, Nicolas Brown, is the winemaker. Brown needed little persuasion to show me the beautiful sunny vineyards rather than the winery, which is housed in a very attractive new building, resembling a long, elegant black shed, designed by Rod's architect nephew Richard Naish, which is also home to Nicolas Brown, his wife Penelope Naish (general manager of the estate) and their small children, plus a modern, welcoming cellar door and 'eatery' (excellent local produce including great cheese) with lovely views.

Their soils are mainly dark clay loam over tight, dense clay with limestone underneath, with more active limestone in some vineyards than in others but any one vineyard has a high degree of variation within it. They are well drained and require no irrigation; much of the older vineyard is on own roots (and other growers are not allowed to drive through). Brown believes that the clay gives aroma and suppleness to their wines, limestone giving structure and minerality.

The older vineyards are half Pinot Noir and half Chardonnay. The new vines are again Pinot Noir (2 ha) and Chardonnay (1 ha) but also Chenin Blanc (1/2 ha) and Cabernet Franc (1/3 ha). The last seems to perform well on the vineyard in front of the winery, where there is a good deal of iron in the soil and the water. All the vineyards have been farmed organically (Bio Gro certified 2012) and the wines are bottled under screwcap with no additions except for SO2 at bottling. All wines are fermented with ambient yeast. JULIA HARDING MW