03-Aug-2017
Red Deer is the brand name of Waitaria Bay Estate, a property with a 5 ha vineyard established in 2004 in the Marlborough Sounds by Chicago businessman Stan Simpson. The name refers to a herd of red deer that live on the estate. Willoughby and Laurie Roodt look after the day-to-day running of the estate. This is possibly the only commercial winegrowing business in the Sounds. The vineyard has Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Viognier, but the latter variety was top-grafted to Pinot Noir recently. Bart Arnst is the viticulturist, and he is instituting organic regimes. The Marlborough Sounds is seen as a challenging area to grow grapes, but the individual style and sound quality to date shows there is merit. Here, I review the 2014 Pinot Gris, made by Hugh Girling at the Sugar Loaf facility. www.reddeerwine.com
