Forrest Estate Wines from New Zealand

Doctor’s John and Brigid Forrest, together with their lively team of staff, produce some of New Zealand’s finest wines. We have not come across any other producer that can offer such value for money at this quality level.

They look after around 130 hectares of prime vineyard sites across the Marlborough region and further south in Otago.

Marlborough is geologically young, and is made up of a series of alluvial gravels (deposited by water – sands, gravels and silts), which are free-draining and low in fertility – just what’s needed to produce top quality grapes.

The soils, along with a favourable climate and good vineyard management, produce fresh, flavourful, pristine wines with a strong sense of place.

The Wines
The Estate range showcases the generousity, full-flavour and attractive seam of minerality from the Marlborough region. The wines are all fresh and clean and perfect examples of good New Zealand wines.

Arriving with the first wave of European settlement of Marlborough, the Forrest family of Scottish heritage have farmed the land for generations. Drs John and Brigid Forrest began creating their wines here in 1988. John brings scientific discipline to winemaking, and an exuberant personality – blending art and science to make wines of the highest quality and purity. The wines have given Forrest an enviable international reputation.

The Forrest's aim to maximise grape quality and express the individual character of the 'terroir' (place). To obtain quality grapes, the vines are pruned over the winter to leave the correct bud numbers on each vine with in order to produce a modest 6 – 10 tonnes per hectare of vines. In the Spring and summer, the vineyard teams work on thinning the canopy and remove access bunches, as well as leaf plucking to ensure sunlight can reach the ripening bunches. This quality-focused activity continues until harvest in March or April.

The vineyard philosophy is very much sustainably focused; John Forrest wants to hand on to the next generation a terroir in better condition than that he inherited.

The Collection range was created by John as an attempt to capture the best the land, the vines and the vintage have to offer.

After many years working and studying the vineyards, John has identified his outstanding vineyard sites and brought the very best plots together to create some truly superb wines.
 

John Forrest on Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Sauvignon
"In 1988 I bought a piece of wasteland in Hawke’s Bay, deliberately choosing a site at the stoniest, hottest, western end of Gimblett Road on Class 1a river gravels, because I was looking for a special place where warm climate red varietals such as cabernet sauvignon and syrah would fully ripen. Bob Newton and I learned how to grow grapevines in gravel as we went along, pioneering many of the viticultural practices that are now the normin the region. Time has proven my instinct about Gimblett Gravels right. The Cornerstone Vineyard lies at the heart of the ‘Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District’, a trademark created in 2001 by local winegrowers based on defined soil types. This very limited edition Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic expression of these special soils".

John Forrest on Gimblett Gravels Syrah
"If God allowed me to drink only one wine in the world, it would be Syrah from the Northern Rhône. I love its vibrant fruit, defining acidity, savoury richness and seductive texture. In 1988, my passion for Syrah led me to seek out a vineyard site in Hawke’s Bay at the stoniest, hottest, western end of Gimblett Road on Class 1a river gravels, where my business partner, Bob Newton, established the Cornerstone Vineyard. I was looking for a special place with similarities to the Northern Rhône, where warm climate red varietals such as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon would fully ripen. Though Gimblett Gravels is in its infancy as a wine region, Syrah is clearly outstanding and has emerged as the premier varietal in the region to universal acclaim – and my personal delight".


John Forrest on 'The White' Multi-Appellation wine
"New Zealand has an enviable international reputation for single varietal white wines but to date, few winemakers have explored white blends. In my winemaking experience, I have found the whole is often greater than the sum of the parts and The White is my expression of this belief. To achieve this, I have chosen from my vineyards only those varieties which have won acclaim in that region. From the warm, stony Gimblett Gravels in Hawkes Bay – Viognier; from the limestone soils of North Otago – Pinot Gris and from Marlborough’s patchwork of riverbed soils – Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Gewürztraminer. The final blend will vary from year to year, depending on my judgment as to the contribution each part makes to the whole".


John Forrest on the Wairau Valley Riesling:
"I love Riesling. Marlborough is a natural home for this queen of cool climate grapes, with its long, temperate growing season and myriad of stony soils. In 17 years of making Riesling in this region I have explored many vineyard sites and found two which stand out. The first lies on Wairau River stones and young soils known as the ‘Awatere Series’ and produces a Riesling of great intensity and delicacy, fine minerality and citrus fruits. The second vineyard is a complex amalgam of free-draining ‘Renwick Series’ soils, which produces an exotic wine with tropical fruits, palate weight and an alluring texture. I could not choose between them but happily found the blend irresistible and this is what I offer you in the John Forrest Collection".


John Forrest on the Wairau Valley Chardonnay:
"My ideal Chardonnay combines its generous character with structure, texture and longevity. I have chosen Marlborough from among New Zealand’s wine regions for my Chardonnay, because of its dry, temperate climate which extends the hang-time for this early ripening variety, allowing greater flavour development whilst retaining all important acidity. I also like Marlborough’s diverse range of soil types which add a further layer of interest to the wine. In good years, Marlborough produces classic Chardonnays: wines with firm structure and fine acidity yet filled out with rich fruit to give a weighty and powerful palate, developing gracefully with time".

More wines from Forrest

Press Accolades

The Weekend Australian, February 13 / 14 2010
James Halliday

2008 Forrest Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

"A mini-vertical tasting of Forrest Sauvignon Blancs back to '06 (and '01 as a back-marker) showed some sauvignons can age well. Screwcaps have, of course, moved the goalposts. Still very pale and no less fresh, with light floral / passionfruit elements, this is a wine of extreme elegance built on a minerally, citrus-nuanced framework. 13% alc/ vel; screwcap. Rating: 95 points. Drink to 2013."

A Triumph of Terroir – Cuisine Magazine, April 2007

"John Forrest says his company philosophy is “better and better” rather than “bigger and bigger” – hence the move towards sub-regional and single-vineyard releases from his Marlborough winery.  “We are fortunate to have in our arsenal a collection of superlative, smaller-parcel wines, “he says, which reflect his understanding of Forrest Estate’s five Riesling sites.  The Brancott Vineyard, his oldest at 15 years, shows different – and exceptional – characters.  The wine has a broadness of palate and exotic spiciness that are directly attributable to the older soils.  When it came to preparing the final wine, the 30 grams of residual sugar exist solely as a reflection of what felt and tasted right for the wine, John says, rather than any preconceived notion of making a medium or off-dry style.  These two key planks – individual terroir and fashioning a wine to reflect the site rather than the winemaker’s preferences – show Forrest Estate to be one of our more adaptable and innovative wineries.  The results of that philosophy, the wine itself and its top placing, speak volumes."

Wine of The Week, Money Week, 23rd January 2009
Matthew Jukes

2006 The White, The John Forrest Collection, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand
"Many moons ago I had dinner with a few high-level wine wizards in London - Jeff Grosset (Clare Valley Riesling fame), John Forrest (read on), Tyson Stelzer (who later became my co-author in Australia) and others. We debated long and hard over many delightful glasses of wine. I challenged John, "Why are there no truly great New Zealand white wines, like those incredible blended wines from Northern Italy?" We scratched our heads - everything NZ made was single variety and very few aged for more than 12 months. A year later John came over to London with loads of fresh made (un-bottled and un-blended) '05 vintage wines from every one of his white varieties (riesling, sauvignon, chardonnay, gewürz, chenin blanc, pinot gris) and he challenged me, "Blend the best white you can!" A few hours later I had done just that. John returned home and put it together and we came up with the name 'The White'. The 2005 is still ageing gracefully and, even though I say it myself, it is one of the most alluring Kiwi whites I have ever tasted. I had no hand in this 2006, but it is incredible, and the 2007 which follows is perhaps the best ever."

Forrest on YouTube

Watch Adnams' Matt Cozens present his video blog of harvest 2010, and watch more videos on Forrest's YouTube channel.