Heritage

The Library Man showed two pages from rare New Zealand's wine history books. Two and a half dozen prominent wine people were there to be reminded of how the country made its tentative steps towards modern winegrowing and winemaking. I considered myself honoured and treated.
Firstly, a 1980 Matawhero Gisborne Chardonnay. Golden, of course, with ripe, plump and juicy apricotty characters, still good acidity and remarkably drinkable. The technocrats would have decried it in today's perspectives, but this was made over three decades ago. Eminently better now than how the Cooks Chardonnays from 1982 to 1985 that were tasted a few weeks ago. Those wines had lost their fruit and just oak remained.
The Library Man went on to show one of Tom McDonald's reds, a McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon. But an extra vintage turned up. The 1973 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon was low from ullage. It was pale mahogany red in colour and somewhat tainted with mould from cork and microbes, but still with cedar and acidity, with the faintest structural grip. It was alive but not really pleasant. But it was a good lead-in to the 1966 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon. The one following the magnificent 1965. The 1966 was darker and deeper. Obviously the greater colour and extract gave greater survivability with true evolved fruit characters, definably currants gone down the cedar and mushroom hinted past-fully developed state. But in no way negative. Still fresh with acid and sweet with fruit. A decent core from where the tannin structure used to be. A taste of our heritage.