Paddy Borthwick, winemaker at Gladstone in the Wairarapa has
created an interesting experiment.
He
has a ‘left Hand’ and a ‘Right Hand’ Pinot Noir, the LH made by his (former)
assistant winemaker, and the RH made by him.
Essentially the two wines come from the same stock, but personal
selections of barrels, based on their personal differences.
Paddy considers Braden to have a logical and
precise approach to life and winemaking, whereas he is more intuitive and impulsive.
The wines over several vintages have shown
some consistencies.
The LH wines are
indeed precise and tight, quite firm and linear.
The RH wines more flowing, ethereal, and perfumed.
There’s a more orderly nature to the LH wine,
whereas the RH wine can be wider ranging.
Having just tasted the
2014 Paddy
Borthwick ‘Left Hand’ and ‘Right Hand’ Wairarapa Pinot Noirs, there are
conclusions to be made.
If there’s one
thing to take from this, it is that winemaker signature is an important factor
in wine.
Interestingly, the LH and RH wine styles and their reasons
behind them are a little at odds to what is known or believed in. LH people are deemed more artistic and emotive,
whereas RH are more structured and orderly.
There is also the matter of the handedness and brain hemisphere swapped
around, the Right brain working on emotions and the Left brain on cognitive
process. It’s all so confusing!
No comments:
Post a Comment