Spencer Hill Estate was established by Phil and Sheryl Jones in 1988 with wines from the Upper Moutere district of Nelson. There, they own two vineyards, one in Upper Moutere and the other in the Coastal Ridge area. They supplement their fruit with that of growers. The Jones also have an American wine venture, Pacifica, based in the Colombia Gorge , the Evans vineyard established in 2006, spanning Washington and Oregon. The Jones spend much of their time in the U.S. and have Matt Rutherford as the general manager of the Nelson operation. Matt has been with the company since 1990, and has had considerable winemaking experience, which sees him travel to work on the Pacifica wines. Jules Randell is the Nelson head winemaker, joining Spencer Hill in 2011. The Jones and Spencer Hill have been innovative in a number of approaches, and were among the first to openly use oak staves for wood character. They also use the ‘Zork’ closures on the ‘Latitude 41’ tier. Here, I Review wines from the ‘Tasman Bay’, ‘Latitude 41’ and ‘Goose Bay’ wines, the latter all Kosher for Passover, and with an annual production of approx. 10,000 cases. www.spencerhillwine.com
FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW
- Tasman Bay Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2016
- Tasman Bay Nelson Pinot Gris 2016
- Tasman Bay Nelson Pinot Noir 2016
- Spencer Hill ‘Latitude 41’ Nelson Sauvignon Blanc Sur Lie 2016
- Spencer Hill ‘Latitude 41’ ‘Hill Block’ Nelson Pinot Gris 2016
- Spencer Hill ‘Latitude 41’ Moutere Nelson Chardonnay 2017
- Spencer Hill ‘Latitude 41’ ‘Small Batch’ Nelson Pinot Noir 2016
- Goose Bay South Island Sauvignon Blanc 2017
- Goose Bay South Island Pinot Grigio 2018
- Goose Bay ‘Small Batch’ South Island Pinot Noir 2016
