Pond Paddock – Wine2Trade Portfolio

01-Sep-2020

In August 2013, Daniele Alemagne purchased the remaining 1.4 ha of the Pond Paddock vineyard and house in Te Muna Road, Martinborough. Daniele who was born in Northern Italy was raised in winegrowing country in Switzerland, where he gained a love of and knowledge of wine. Coming to New Zealand in 2003 and working in real estate and running a 5-star accommodation business, he returned to his wine upbringing and obtained the 30 rows of Pinot Noir vines around the house on the former Barber property. Since then he has planted another 0.8 ha of Chardonnay in clones 95 and 548.

Daniele tends the vineyard with the assistance of Simone Amorese, a winemaker from Italy who lives on the property, and Paul Mason was contracted to make the first Pond Paddock wines. In 2014, the 4,000 vines yielded 6 tonnes of fruit to make approx. 550 cases of wine. The smaller 2015 harvest saw 2.5 tonnes harvested to make around 230 cases. Simone recently joined Baptist Sieber and Carolyn Irwin of Colombo Winegrowers in Todds Road, and together, Simone and Baptist have now taken responsibility for making the Pond Paddock wines. Two new wines have been introduced, clearly designed with export in mind, a Sauvignon Blanc and a rosé, both from the 2016 vintage.  The Sauvignon Blanc is named 'Zarathustra', and the rose named 'Zoee', for Daniele's son and daughter respectively. Both are made from Martinborough fruit, but from outside the home block in Te Muna Road. The production of Pond Paddock will always remain small, but Daniele’s intentions are for the quality to be high. www.pondpaddock.nz Archived tasting notes on wines no longer commercially available can be seen by clicking here

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Pond Paddock Zoée Rosé 2019, Martinborough
  Rosé from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 04-Sep-2020

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, light salmon-pink, lighter on the rim. The nose is soft, fragrances of florals, aromatic peaches and watermelon melded with subtle herbs. Light-bodied, dryish to taste, the palate has sweet aromas of strawberries, peaches and watermelon, underlying red florals and a hint of confectionary, along with mouthwatering minerals. The palate is bright and fresh, a well-packed core of sweet flavours of fruit, balanced by taut acid drive, leaves a crisp lingering finish. This is an up-front rosé with flavours of red fruit, herbs on a taut acid mineral drive. Match with Asian fare over the next 2 years. 17.5/20 pts Sept 2020 RRP $22  
• Pond Paddock ‘Zarathustra’ Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017
  Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 27-Oct-2017

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Very pale straw colour, near colourless on the rim. The nose is elegantly presented with a tight, refreshing core of passionfruit, gooseberries, fresh herbs with subtle nettle notes and suggestions of seaside and minerals. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate has a tightly bound heart with taut, aromatic flavours of passionfruit, gooseberries, white florals, nettles and cut-grass. The palate is crisp and mouthwatering with brisk, racy acidity, and the wine flows along a fine-textured phenolic line. This has good energy, and carries to a lingering, slender, refreshing finish. This is a taut and tightly bound, elegant Sauvignon Blanc with crisp, refreshing, aromatic flavours of passionfruit, gooseberries and nettles. Serve as an aperitif, with seafood, and salads and vegetables over the next 2 years. Martinborough fruit cool-fermented in stainless-steel to 12.5% alc. 17.0+/20 Oct 2017 RRP $22.00 Disclaimer: This wine is distributed by ‘Wine2Trade’, the company under which ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ operates
• Pond Paddock Martinborough Pinot Noir 2014
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 13-Dec-2015

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Moderately deep ruby-red colour with purple hues, a little lighter on the rim. This has a softly full and deep nose of ripe dark red berry and black cherry fruit entwined with aromas of spicy plums and complex nuances of herbs, violet florals, earthy spices and mineral elements. Medium-full bodied, the palate is soft, rich and weighty with plenty of deep flavours of ripe dark red berry and plum fruit, with liquorice, dark herb, earth and spice notes. The fruit is sweet and ripe, and balanced by grainy tannin structure, lending a fulsome, textural mouthfeel. Some alcoholic power underlines the fruit and soft acidity adds to the gentle drive. Spicy plum and oak, with earthy layers are carried to a soft-textured, very long, sweet finish. This is a fulsome, sweetly rich Pinot Noir with dark berry, spicy plum and earthy flavours and a grainy, textural palate. Match with roasted red meats, casseroles and semi-hard cheeses over the next 5+ years. Two parcels of fruit from the ‘Pond Paddock’ vineyard, approx. 80% with clones 114, 115 and 5, with the remainder Abel clone, from vines over 10 y.o., fully destemmed, given a cool soak and indigenous yeast fermented to 14.4% alc., the parcels spending 20 and 24 days on skins respectively and aged 10 months in 18% new French oak barriques. 18.0/20 Nov 2015 RRP $36.00 New owners now. The wine made by Paul Mason. Dark, deep ruby-red with youthful purple hues at the heart. Elegant and tightly bound on nose with aromatic black fruits, along with black floral perfumes. Medium-bodied, and more up-front with sweet and aromatic black cherry and berry fruit flavours. Supple and fine-grained tannins, balanced acidity, just fades a touch on finish. Gentle, but beautifully fruited. 17.5/20 Jul 2015 RRP $36.00 Disclaimer: This wine is distributed by ‘Wine2Trade’, the company under which ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ operates
• Pond Paddock Martinborough Pinot Noir 2015
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Wairarapa & Wellington

  Review Date : 26-Sep-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Even ruby-red colour with slight purple hues, lighter on the rim and youthful in appearance. This has a gently full and voluminous nose, somewhat reserved in expression, unfolding primary aromas of dark raspberries, dark-red berry fruit and red liquorice, with dark herbs, to form a tight core, unveiling nuances of dark red florals, plum fruit and some spicy, nutty oak. Medium-bodied, the palate has a packed heart, gently unfolding subtle, but mouthfilling flavours of ripe, savoury raspberry and plum fruit, entwined with red florals, dark herbs, red liquorice and spice notes. The fruit is supported by plenty of fine-textured extraction providing flowery tannin structure, with integrated, soft acidity. The palate has concentration and textural linearity, carrying to an elegant, fine-featured and sustained finish of dark red berry and cherry fruit, plums and spice. This is a very fine-grained, firmly bound Pinot Noir with restrained dark-red fruits and spice notes that will grow in richness over the next 6 years. Serve with duck, pork, lamb and venison. Clone 114, 115, 5 and Abel fruit from vines 10+ y.o., fully destemmed and fermented to 13.0% alc., the wine spending 22 days on skins with a reduced regime of punch downs, the wine aged 10 months in French oak, 12.5% new and 37% 1 y.o. 230 cases made. 18.0/20 Sep 2016 RRP $36.00 Disclaimer: This wine is distributed by ‘Wine2Trade’, the company under which ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ operates