The pool boy makes a splash at the Mission Estate 12/2024
Hi, I'm back to report on the Mission Estate Winery near Taradale. It is New Zealand's oldest winery with continuous ownership (now corporate) throughout.
When its vines were first planted in 1858 the wine was used for communion and communal purposes. Commercial release began in 1878 and in that year Brother Cyprian Huchet, the son of a French vigneron, was the cellar master. He is thought to have been New Zealand's first winemaker.
Later the brothers made the wine with assistance from professional winemakers. One of these Paul Mooney began in 1979 learning winemaking from Brother John who had in his turn acquired his skills working in Bordeaux. Alex Roper is now the head winemaker.
Mission Concerts
The Mission as it is called by the Hawke's Bay locals is also famous for concerts, the first of which starred New Zealand's very own diva, Kiri Te Kanawa, in 1993. Jeannie and I were there up on the bank, a little chilly, if I remember rightly and Kiri was stunning with her beautiful voice, and silk gowns. I've been to a number of concerts since but that one remains a standout. Set in the grazing grounds above the winery buildings the amphitheatre of slopes and grass has seen crowds of more than 20,000 entertained by world-renowned stars ever since, covid years excepted.
The winery is notable for its high-tech approach. Since 2006 sensors in the vineyards linked to GPS units have enabled monitoring of soil, vine health, and quality. That information is critical to the transition of vine to wine, where the viticulturist and winemaker meet.
The Mission Estate owns its home vineyards, two more in the Gimblett Gravels near Hastings and 40.5 hectares (100 acres) in the Awatere region of Marlborough (northeastern tip of South Island). In the vineyards are grown Reds - Cabernet, Sauvignon, Cabernet Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Pinot Noir, as well as the Whites - Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. These find their way into the Mission Estate Series the Vineyard Selection, then the Reserve and Jewelstone labels before the most exclusive Huchet series. The prices range from $23 to $170 per bottle.
Two wines deserve particular mention. First, Jewelstone Chardonnay is widely accepted as one of New Zealand's best year-on-year. It is a multiple gold medal wine and has been Champion White at New Zealand's most prestigious award shows. It is made from Mendoza grapes.
Second, Huchet Syrah is made from grapes grown in the Mission Estate's 2.1-hectare block off the Mere Road in the Gimblett Gravels. The grapes are selected using the GPS tech, hand-picked and sorted. Some are crushed with the remainder kept whole then together left to maceration and fermentation as long as the vintage requires. 18 months of French oak barrel ageing follows. The resulting wines sell for $170 per bottle and are hard to get. That says a lot!
Tasting at the Mission
The cellar door is up the driveway from the winery buildings and is in the same building as the restaurant. On offer are guided and self-guided tastings, one $20 and the other $15. The wines change from time to time, for self-guided we chose a fizz ( Festival, $23, fun, and unpretentious) and three Reds which all sell for $29. The first a 2023 Syrah was a bit average and probably needed more time, and the second an older Cabernet Franc was not to my taste. The Reserve Merlot, however, was very good and worth keeping for a few years. We bought one of these and a bottle of Festival for Christmas.
The staff were helpful and pleasant with useful handouts (wine tasting notes) and a map of the Gimblett Gravels showing the Mission holdings, which happen to be adjacent to one of Trinity Hill's. However, there was no access to viticultural information or to a winemaker-knowledgeable person so this cellar door did not have the same informational strength as Clearview, Trinity Hill or Church Road (see next blog).
The Restaurant
A visit to the restaurant in the original Mission building is a must for wine tourists. It has excellent wine and food with good service (don't believe the bad reviews about that if you come across them) and a beautiful setting looking out over vines with the coast in the distance.
