While tasting a stunning bevy of sauvignon blancs with Alex Giesen, one of the three Giesen brothers, more than a year ago, it occurred to me that while a bit of a discovery, the Giesen wines were certainly no surprise.
The brothers had planted their vineyards in New Zealand’s Marlborough district, at the northern tip of the South Island, near Christchurch, which is New Zealand’s sweet spot for sauvignon blanc. This is the land of Cloudy Bay and Villa Maria, the sauvignons that put New Zealand on the map in the uber-competitive world of fine wine.
More recently I had the opportunity to taste a presentation of Giesen wines by Theo Giesen, another of the brothers, and the experience proved to be a revelation.
To be sure, there was an impeccably made sauvignon, Giesen’s 2012 The Fuder, Matthews Lane Sauvignon Blanc ($40) from a single vineyard. This was a layered, creamy, complex sauvignon crafted in a unique style through the unusual practice of aging in 1000 liter barrels.
Two other Giesen wines – 2012 The Fuder Clayvin Chardonnay ($40) and 2012 The Fuder Clayvin Pinot Noir ($55) – surprisingly stole the show, however. First of all, Marlborough’s reputation has been built on sauvignon. The finest New Zealand Pinot would be found in Central Otago and the finest Chardonnay on the North Island outside of Auckland, specifically the Kumeu River wines made by Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich.
The Clayvin Vineyard chardonnay reminded me of a top-notch Chassagne Montrachet, exhibiting that rare combination of richness and firm spine that is typically only found in France’s Burgundy region. Theo Giesen’s considers the purchase of the Clayvin vineyard to be one of his family’s most important business decisions.
Giesen’s Clayvin Chardonnay is every bit the equal of Kumeu River’s finest and Leeuwin Estate’s Artist Series from the Margaret River region of Western Australia, which are the two finest chardonnays from this part of the world in my humble opinion. Giesen’s 2012 The Fuder Clayvin Pinot was every bit the monumental wine as the chardonnay.
“You can now see why we bought the Clayvin vineyard,” Theo explained in a serious understatement.
These two Giesen wines can stand with Burgundian-style wine anytime, anywhere. I can hardly wait to see what the next year, and the next Giesen brother, bring.
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