Hawks Nest Wines of NZ: Hawks Nest Wines of NZ

Hawks Nest Wines of NZ: Hawks Nest Wines of NZ
People have asked me about our winemaker in NZ and questions about Matakana Valley here in Nashville these last two weeks. Thus for this posting I have pasted in to the blog the text of our initial marketing brochure that we put together last year. Some of you may have read this before but it gives a good summary of our background to date.

Our History Hawks Nest gets its name from the native birds that soar over the hills of the scenic New Zealand coastal area where the vineyard is situated. Hawks Nest is nestled on gently sloping north facing soil in a working orchard block in the midst of picturesque Matakana Valley. At 37 degrees south latitude, Matakana Valley has a climate and soil not dissimilar to some of the great wine growing regions of the world. Less than an hour's drive north of Auckland, the Matakana region is blessed with pristine beaches, grass covered hillsides, and small pastoral communities for which New Zealand is renowned. The small hamlet of Matakana is the first town in the Southern Hemisphere to be officially designated a "Slow Town" and is fast becoming a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

Hawks Nest has evolved since the late 1980's into an outstanding fruit orchard specializing in Asian Persimmons. Dr. Jim Daniell semi-retired from medicine and moved with his wife to New Zealand part time in 1999 to seek a life 'no less sophisticated but far less complicated.' Be it luck or fate, the Daniells settled on the scenic East Coast of the North Island near Matakana and purchased the orchard property. The orchard block vineyard was developed with plantings in 2002 of Malbec and Cabernet Franc grapes at the edges of the orchard in fertile clay soil that is similar to that in the best regions of Bordeaux. In addition to the grapes now grown on the orchard itself, Hawks Nest has been able to purchase mature quality Merlot grapes from the world famous Hawks Bay grape growing area of New Zealand.

Our winemaker and Premium Bordeaux style Reds

At Hawks Nest, we are passionate about achieving the highest quality wine with no compromises. To that end, Hawks Nest has partnered with John Worth, one of New Zealand's skilled young winemakers with extensive experience in winemaking in France. John received the University of Adelaide Graduate Diploma in Oenology in 1998. Following his stint at University, he worked in harvests in both Australia and France. His four years of French wine making experience includes past harvests at Chateau Giscours in Margaux; F. E. Trimbach, Ribeauville in Alsace; Hugel et fils, Riquewihr in Alsace; Chateau Du Tertre in Margaux, and at Chateau Haut Bailly in Pessac Leognan. Having worked with some of the worlds finest winemakers, John returned to New Zealand in 2004 to pursue his passion to produce premium quality Bordeaux style reds. John approached the Daniells because he felt the Hawks Nest site and vine plantings could allow him to accomplish his goal of making wines of the highest possible quality.

Our first vintage- 2004 Orchard Block Red

We are proud to now offer to Tennesseans our first vintage called Orchard Block Red. This fine wine has been crafted from Merlot and Malbec grapes from Hawkes Bay and Matakana, on the sun drenched East Coast of the North Island. Our goal is to produce savory elegant wines that represent the very best of New Zealand red wine. This, our first vintage, displays ripe rich fruit characters, is strongly structured, and has a long soft tannin finish. The wine was matured for 14 months in small oak barrels. This wine is an ideal partner to red meats and game, it will reward cellaring for up to 3-5 years. So, now you have a bit of our history. Think of us when you taste our wine. More soon. Dr. JIm PS. The photo is our sign at our front roadside gate at the end of the rainbow in this photo.