In September we had the pleasure of hosting Joel Watson, Head Winemaker (The Big Cheese) of Luna Estate and Ross Wilson our local Eurovintage account manager. A good turnout was well entertained and educated about the place, people and wines of Luna Estate which is situated in the Martinborough wine region.
We were all welcomed with a glass of the delightful, Luna Estate Brut Rose NV, pretty salmon pink, berries and cream. Then into the theatre for an evening of tasting & chatting. Joel told us a little about himself and the story of Luna Estate, he’s not only very entertaining but also great at explaining the philosophy of what they are trying to achieve at Luna Estate.
JOEL WATSON, Wine Maker
Joel was born and raised in Hawkes Bay. Following the time honoured tradition of the Kiwi OE Joel departed NZ in 1999… Little did he know at the time that it would be 15 years before he would return home to live! In that time Joel cut his teeth in the world of high end hospitality working as a Sommelier in Australia and North America.
Wanting to go deeper into wine Joel begun working as a cellarhand in several famous wine regions across the globe. Eventually formal wine studies followed before he took the plunge into full time winemaking in 2010. The opportunity to helm project Luna arose in 2015.
We all enjoyed Joel’s presentation, his knowledge passion for wine and his often dark humour – Thanks for coming Joel
ABOUT LUNA ESTATE
Luna Estate is sustainably farmed, gently handcrafted; “We look after our land and soil, employing regenerative and organic farming principles and practices across both of our vineyards. Sustainable, organic principles drive our farming processes, and in the winery, we let the fruit do all the talking..” They have two vineyards – Blue Rock Vineyard and Eclipse Vineyard
BLUE ROCK VINEYARD
Our north-facing elevated hillside vineyard is located approximately 12 km South of Martinborough on Dry River Road. Planting on this site started in 1986, with some of these vines still producing today, contributing excellent mature vine fruit to the Blue Rock Pinot Noir. The vines grow in silty clay loams interspersed with ancient marine sediment. The Luna vineyard team are diligently converting to full organic practice in order to restore the mana of this precious piece of land. Blue Rock is also the location of our winery where we process fruit from both the Eclipse and Blue Rock vineyards. The majority of our Estate wines are produced from this vineyard, including highly perfumed and silky Pinot Noir and robust powerful Syrah. Only the most mature blocks are selected to produce single vineyard Blue Rock Pinot Noir and Blue Rock Syrah.
ECLIPSE VINEYARD
In the mid-1970s, some government scientists suggested that the climate combined with an ancient rocky riverbed to the East of the village might make Martinborough a suitable place to farm quality grapes for wine. This led an intrepid group of pioneers to experiment with an array of grape varieties, most importantly, Pinot Noir. The rest is history! Martinborough is now justifiably world-renowned as one of the greatest Pinot Noir regions on the planet. Our Eclipse Vineyard lies in the heart of the terrace on Puruatanga Road. Planting began in 1992 with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
These mature vines form the core of Eclipse Chardonnay and Eclipse Pinot Noir. The soils were formed many millennia ago when the mighty Raumahaunga River changed course leaving behind a deep stony river bank. Perfectly drained, these very rocky soils dry out quickly during the hotter months forcing the vine roots to dig deep in search of adequate water and nutrients. Crops are always low to moderate and berry size always small ensuring terrific flavour intensity and structure. Our dedicated vineyard team tends these vines using full organic practice. Eclipse Vineyard is also the home of our superb Cellar door and Restaurant and there is no better place to enjoy wine than where it is grown and crafted.
Wines tasted on the night were:
Luna Estate Rose 2024 – 100% Pinot Meunier
Luna Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Luna Estate Pinot Gris 2023
Luna Eclipse Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2023
Luna Eclipse Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020
Luna Blue Rock Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020
Luna Blue Rock Single Vineyard Syrah 2020
All were most excellent wines, Joel filling us in on all the details of each wine, and answering the many questions asked by attendees. Wine sales at the end of the evening were excellent having to be delivered to 4th Wall Theatre on a pallet. (Not Palate)
As usual club members were treated with delicious platters from Sugar Shack Platters.
To find out more about Luna Estate, the people, place, the viticulture, the cellar door, the restaurant and of course buy some wine, visit: