Huia Blanc de Blancs and Marlborough Memories
The Huia was a native New Zealand bird with beautiful plumage. In particular, its distinctive tail feathers, now extremely rare, were highly prized, both by the Maori and by milliners. Sadly, this species hasn’t been seen since 1907 and is now almost certainly extinct.
Huia is also the name of a winery. In 1994, winemakers Claire and Mike Allan planted their boutique vineyard is in the heart of the Wairau Valley in Marlborough. They named it Huia, after the now legendary bird.
Both of them already had excellent winemaking experience, having worked at Cloudy Bay, Vavasour, Corbans, and Lawson’s Dry Hills in Marlborough. Also, both had worked in Champagne at Taittinger and Veuve Clicquot, respectively.
To Huia, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, NZ
Huia was organic from the outset and fully certified since 2011. They also employ biodynamic practices as well. And there’s more to this than winegrowing, with animal grazing, encouragement of biodiversity, and composting winery and vineyard waste. It’s green and clean.
So here you’ll find artisanally-made varietal wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir. They also produce this Blanc de Blancs from Chardonnay and Brut Rosé from Pinot Noir.
I was fortunate to try the Huia wine range at London’s recent annual Wines of New Zealand tasting. In short, all the Huia wines are excellent. However, if you can only pick one out for exceptional praise, it would be this Blanc de Blancs. It’s one of New Zealand’s best examples for sure. Moreover, this is a world-class wine.
Huia Blanc de Blancs Brut, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2016, 12.5%
Huia Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay. The grapes are whole-bunch pressed and then fermented in old French oak with wild yeasts to create the base wine. That then goes through the secondary, malolactic fermentation to soften and broaden the acidity.
The fizz is made by the Traditional Method, with 32 months on the lees. This 2016 vintage was then disgorged on 15/16 October 2019, given a low dosage of 6 g/l, creating a dry Brut style.
As for the vintage in Marlborough, 2016 was a classic year, producing ripe, healthy fruit without any significant issues. Hence this vintage of Blanc de Blancs reached the UK in February 2020.
The bottle announces itself with a loud welcoming pop. There are bubbles aplenty, firstly the vibrant foaming mousse, settling down with long and persistent bubble streams. Next are the aromas of freshly baking bread from the lees ageing. The palate is predominantly citrus, followed by toast with a bit of peach. In texture, it’s broad and mouth-filling yet still elegant, with a mineral edge. Finally, there is a long and dry finish.
Delicious drinking right now, with no need to wait. However, I’m curious to see what a little more bottle age might bring, perhaps some ginger notes? I look forward to finding out!
For the Maori, the tail feathers of the Huia still have high status; they represent beauty, wisdom, elegance, and dignity. In short, those words are also an excellent description of this wine.
Food
Sparkling wine should always be a wine of celebration, yet the best of them are spectacular with food. For example, I recall a big bowl of steamed green-lipped mussels eaten while overlooking the ocean at Havelock. While I fully intend to repeat that experience someday, I settled for moules marinière at home with some fond memories on the side. Of course, other seafood such as oysters would be a great match, as would smoked salmon and gravadlax.
Final thoughts
Huia is a founder member of the MANA winegrowers collective, a group of Marlborough organic winemakers. They are also a member of Organic Winegrowers NZ, which has rightly been gaining ground in New Zealand.
I like to put my money where my mouth is, and so taken was I with this sparkling wine that I ordered a case of six in advance from The Solent Cellar for £29.99 each. Contact the importer, Bibendum, for other UK stockists.
Location
Huia Vineyards Ltd.
Boyces Road,
RD.3
Rapuara 7273
Marlborough
New Zealand
PS, A bottle of Huia is a brilliant way to celebrate New Zealand’s 200 years of viticulture! And also is one of my picks for Christmas 2020.