Cellar Notes
Drink now and over the next 3 years
Food
Serve lightly chilled as an ideal accompaniment to modern cuisine
Producer Notes
John Belsham literally stumbled into winemaking. The story began in 1977 when he found himself as a broke student travelling in Bordeaux. After extending his stay for five years working in the Medoc, John returned to New Zealand and continue to progress within the industry. In 1992, he founded his own estate “Foxes Island”. These wines provided the opportunity he sought, to highlight his skills, and “focus on exquisitely made, regionally expressive wines”, and the wines really do speak for themselves. John’s high expectations have not gone unnoticed and he is highly sought after as an Australasian wine judge, as well as working with a number of New Zealand wine organisations. To put a happy ending on this tale, when John visited us in 2009, he announced his recent engagement, so things really have come along way since that bleak day in 1977.
Winemaking Notes
Harvested in late April at 23.5 Brix the fruit was hand picked, chilled, de-stemmed, pressed and allowed to settle. Subsequently the juice was fermented in stainless steel and in a small percentage of new French oak at cool temperatures over 25 days. Following ageing on lees for 3 months the wine was racked, settled and bottled under strictly anaerobic conditions to retain its freshness.
Bottled Febrauary 2009
