Organic. Planted in 2002, the Wrekin Vineyard is a small, organically certified (Biogro) and biodynamically farmed site at the top of the Brancott Valley, almost in its own locality. It’s a great new site for Corofin, providing both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of “exceptional individuality and quality”, according to Paterson. Owned by Jan and Andrew Johns and farmed by Jeremy Highland, Wrekin sits in the lee of the scarps of the Southern Valley foothills, on clay-rich soils laid over greywacke mother-rock. Orientated northeast and planted at 4,000 vines per hectare (to moderate vigour), it’s also one of the highest vineyards in the valley, producing fruit that is often the last to be harvested each year.
Hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed, this release was fermented wild on high solids in three 500-litre seasoned French oak puncheons and a single 300-litre stainless steel barrel. Racked to tank after five months, the wine then stayed on lees for another five months before being bottled (unfined and unfiltered).
Befitting the cooler nature of the vintage, the nose exudes aromas of flowers and wet stone while the palate is sleek and elegant, balancing alluring texture with a clear, precise and savoury finish. Great energy and drive from a Chablis-styled Corofin vintage.
“This is a remarkably expressive Chardonnay showing a beautiful crystalline citrus fruit core with notes of lemon, green tea and a slight salinity, with a tapering finish. Such purity and finesse: an exciting Marlborough Chardonnay, with amazing texture.”95 points, Jamie Goode, Wine Anorak
Established in 2011, Corofin is the new home for ex-Jackson Estate winesmith Mike Paterson and his partner Anna, until recently GM at TerraVin.
At this early juncture, while Mike is contracted to another project and Anna busy raising the couple’s two young daughters, Corofin craft two (soon to be three) single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, each in tiny 100-150-case lots. You can read about two of these “pretty special Marlborough sites” below (the third being the Weavers’ ‘Waihopi Slopes’ at Churton). Not too far down the line we’ll see a little Chardonnay as well.
For the time being the wines are made out of temporary digs at Fromm. Having spent the majority of their working years in and about Marlborough, Mike and Anna have no doubt regarding the potential of their adopted region, and were well placed to approach their first choice of vineyards.
On the one hand, our role as a merchant of all things wine & spirits could not be simpler. We aim to source the most delicious, the most authentic, and the highest quality products possible from Australia and around the world in order to offer them to our clients. We live or die by how well we perform this task. Of course things are rarely as simple or as easy as they seem. Hunting for wines & spirits is no different. Apart from the months spent travelling, countless days and evenings spent tasting and the outrageous wine expenditure in the name of ‘research’, sourcing quality wine and spirits requires expertise and experience. Understanding the potential of a producer and their products is much more than just a slurp and a spit.
