Cambridge Road

About

Owner & winemaker: Lance Redgwell
Vineyards: 12ha, of which 2ha are estate-owned and 10ha are rented
Vineyard management: Practicing organic with biodynamic practices
Soils: Alluvial gravels
Grapes grown: Pinot Noir, Syrah, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Marsanne
Annual production: 23,000 bottles

Quick facts:

• The Cambridge Road vineyard are farmed organically with minimal fertilizer–they like to use locally harvested kelp as one of their main plant tonics.
• “My inspirations are eclectic and ever growing – I’m more likely to be enthralled by the wonder of nature, the power, design and beauty of elegant solutions evolved over eons. I also love the diversity of taste and those that champion thoughtful interpretation of the new.” – Lance Redgwell

“The earth has music for those who listen.” It’s a quote Lance Redgwell read years ago, and it encapsulates what he’s working to accomplish at Cambridge Road. This project was a dream almost ten years in the making, from 1998, when he began his oenology studies back, to 2006, when he had the opportunity to take over a 30 year old vineyard, to 2007, when he produced his first wines under his own label. It was build “from the ground up, with dirt under our fingernails and sweat in our hair,” as Lance puts it.

Cambridge Road is found in the Wairarapa Valley, at the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island. Lance describes New Zealand’s unique geography as “somewhat like a lizard with a spine of mountains stretching along its back”–it’s long, narrow, and mountainous. These snow-covered peaks border the region to the west, and to the east are rolling coastal hills. The cool climate, thanks to lots of fresh ocean air (they’re only 30km from the Pacific coast) and southerly air masses sweeping up from Antarctic, ensures the grapes ripen slowly, maintaining acidity and moderate alcohol while developing aromatic potential and finely structured tannins. Dry summers and high winds (up to 60-70mph at times) keep yields low and make it relatively easy to farm with organic practices. Lance seeks to express the uniqueness of the terroir and each season through dry farming and frugal amounts of fertilizer. In the old cliché, the wines really are made in the vineyard–for example, Lance’s choices around canopy management control light exposure which in turn shapes tannin. “I view winemaking as the natural preservation of the beautiful fruit I’ve been able to grow in every year,” he explains.

In the cellar, Lance uses ambient ferments with wild yeast, older barrels, and lees contact. Each year, he makes pragmatic choices based on the grape variety, site, and season. As he explains, “I love lower alcohol but not at the expense of unripe phenolics, I love whole bunch but need to watch pH and biological stability.” Stylistically, the goal is purity, sense of place, and authenticity, but “nothing too squeaky clean,” Lance insists. “For me, the wines need to have soul.”