It has been a while since I stumbled across a wine label that I though was probably new – as I’d literally never heard of it, and certainly not tasted the wines… only to find that it has gathered some healthy critical praise, and is onto third versions of some wines. Jordan Hogg is the maker of Atípico wines. He was the New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year for 2016 and his current ‘day job’ is making a set of rather good wines at Rock Ferry (and I wrote about them at the last, excellent Art of Wine show, here > https://winefolio.co.nz/?p=9521). His resumé shows his attraction to smaller, organic producers.
The current releases are reviewed below. Jordan has an interesting method amongst his winemaking arsenal – and he has a rather great name for it ‘vinsitu’. The barrels of wines are taken out to the vineyard where the grapes were picked and fermented right there. I saw one particularly ace photo of the Pinot Noir ‘Under the Plum Tree’ barrels…literally under a plum tree, with rows of vines either side. He tells me he will have more wines for the range to come – including an ‘interesting Sauvignon’
Sundial is a white blend of two-thirds Pinot Blanc and a third Pinot Gris, fermented in older puncheons. The way he describes it is as an Alsace-meets-Chablis wine, and I tend to agree. The vibrant energy to this one, would often be accompanied by a piercing acidity – but here we have a softness and texture through the middle that is very pleasing. It could be Albarino, but for that dialled-down acid – there is a crisp citrus note – but also something like apple crumble that sashays onto the back of the palate.
The Rapaura Chardonnay was voted in the Top 10 of a recent judging (not mine). Again, Chablis makes it name known in my notes. Again, we have a clean, energy-filled entry to the palate, but this time it sticks to that script, with leanness and vibrancy humming through the palate. Again, there is citrus – a preserved lemon note of chalky salinity. The pulse of acidity remains, into a dry, pithy finish. A light nutty note persists as well, from the start to finish, although I get no sense of oak.
Under the Plum Tree is a Pinot Noir based field blend that also contains Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. This is the wine of the fabulous photo. It is a light ruby colour in the glass, and initially tastes not unlike a white wine. I’m getting a lot of whole bunch method here – a spicy, floral, lifted nose that is very jazzy. A kaleidoscopic fruit salad of flavours, including an orange peel note that makes me think of both Negroni and Beaujolais Cru. A smoky spiciness through the palate, with grippy tannin coming through, as the wine goes through some gears. It changes from sip to sip. I would consider a light chill to start this up, and then watch it develop.
