23-Sep-2014
Alexander Vineyard was originally established by Kingsley and Deborah Alexander in Dublin Street on the Martinborough Terrace in 1989. Michael Finucane and his wife Roz Walker, from the U.K., invested in the business and established their own 5 ha vineyard on Hinakura Road, next to the golf course in 1997-1998, close-planting mainly Pinot Noir, with 15,000 vines and 750 Merlot vines. Michael and Roz took over the business in 2001 and transferred their winegrowing to Hinakura Road selling the Dublin Street block in 2002. They’ve been using the original winery on Dublin Street as a shared facility until they completed the 2014 vintage in their new winery, on site on Hinakura Street. Michael and Roz are hands-on, looking after the viticulture and winemaking, and their winemaking style is one of "guidance” and gentle work rather than "manipulation”. One of the quieter producers of Martinborough, they are dedicated to Pinot Noir, the most successful variety in the district, but carry the legacy of the past with their 70-80 cases of Merlot they make annually. Here, I review the new and current release wines. For availability, contact Alexander Vineyard on Tel: 06 306-8171 or Email: [email protected]