2008 Pyramid Valley Sémillon Late Harvest Growers Collection Hille Vineyard

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  6/4/2010, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (HILLE LATE HARVEST Semillon Pyramid Valley) Noir/Dessert Dear Friends, It's been an eventful week but many of you will agree that I've saved the most inspiring offer for the last. This is the final 2010 release form Mike and Claudia Weersing at Pyramid Valley and it's going to push them ever-closer toward a place reserved for a single winery in New Zealand - the tip of the, well, pyramid. If the two wines below fail to prove that Pyramid Valley is indeed New Zealand's greatest vinous foot forward (and one of the finest in the world), then people are not paying attention. I do not say that to be testy, rather, I make that statement as a cohesive synthesis of their past body of work and of their future offspring bubbling away in North Canterbury. As I've said in the past, there are certainly other entrants that produce a single varietal that may eclipse what Mike and Claudia have achieved but not with the amalgam of varietals and styles that Pyramid Valley so lovingly dispatches from their biodynamic hands. In that regard, they are on a playing field of one. Below we have the most difficult Pinot Noir to obtain from their stable and their new limited release Yquem inspired dessert wine that is going to make people weak in the knees. If you are adding to a collection or you intend to broaden your cellar, both of the examples below should be in your clutches. Both were 100% hand-made with strict organic and natural principles from bud-break to bottling. Both are VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEDED and are EXTREMELY LIMITED directly from the winery cellar with perfect provenance: 2008 Pyramid Valley "Riverbrook" Pinot Noir If you are searching for the finest, rarest and most intriguing examples of Pinot Noir in the world, you've come to the right place. In a nutshell, this wine is basically impossible to find - even in New Zealand. You can find the Riesling from this vineyard but not the Pinot Noir. The very fact that we have a miniscule allocation is going to make a number of the top retailers in NZ quite angry but we will take our few cases and politely hand them over to you. Call it karma or call it timing, but the recent drop of the NZ dollar has the price of this wine at a laughable level for the quality. I'm tempted to put this up against any $29 New World Pinot Noir but the results may not be pretty for those bent on a fair competition. As far as Burgundy, this wine can hold its own with many of the top renditions from Chambolle and, unlike the Earth Smoke and Angel Flower, the Riverbrook struts its voluptuous fruit without apology (in a terroir-infused, site-specific Pyramid Valley way of course). Somehow, this reminds me of a New World take on Mugnier, which, for many of you is the perfect combination. A fantastic bottle of wine that satiates the senses and will only improve with another 4-6 years in bottle. I still can't believe this price and I'd like to see what lovers of Marcassin (who still admire the best of Burgundy) have to say about the Riverbrook: Mike Weersing: "The 2008 Riverbrook Pinot Noir is from the Hoare family's Brancott Valley plot and they are arguably Marlborough's most venerable and quality-minded grapegrowers. Close-planted, cropped low and harvested at full maturity this special care has resulted in a wine that is dense and plush but simultaneously fresh, layered and complex." (I've truncated the rest of Mike's beautifully penned comments as the allocation is too small to instill any additional excitement - lets' just leave it at that - JR) (13.3-13.5% alcohol) VERY RARE. 2008 Pyramid Valley "Hille Vineyard" Late Harvest (Semillon) 750ml (only 215 cases produced - this is not Pyramid Hill) If you are even remotely interested in Sauternes, you must give this artisanal and organically raised wine a try. In addition, an open bottle should last for quite a while in a cold cellar so there is no harm in engaging a sip or two nightly over the course of a few weeks. Of all the Pyramid Valley wines I've tasted (and that includes every one of them since inception), this dream-like example may be the most impressive. It's not easy to produce great dessert wine, especially when you are trying to equal Yquem (in a biodynamic way) but Mike and Claudia have certainly given this their most inspired shot. It will be very interesting to put this wine in a blind tasting of the top 2009 Sauternes when they are released... Mike Weersing: "First planted 28 years ago, this 'old-vine' parcel in upper Brancott is mean, stony and spare, limiting vigour on the normally exuberant Semillon. These are ideal condiitons for bringing to full maturity this normally late ripening varietal and for conferring minerality and weight. Luminous, viscous, deep-lighted gold. Heady musky/floral/spicy bouquet, multifaceted and complex: beeswax, lanolin, talcum powder, candied ginger, dried orange peel, verbena, citrus blossom, and a suggestion of vanilla bean. Lovely lift and floral sweetness, with an undercurrent of blossom honey and stony acidity; really fresh and pretty, light-footed and charming, for so concentrated and age-worthy a wine." (13.2-13.4% alcohol) VERY RARE. Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA NZ9910 NZ9920