An old brand with a new lease of life sounds like something of a cliche but in the case of Alchemy Wines, its new owners have been the saviours of this brand, which could have bitten the proverbial dust following from the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023. The new owners are winemakers Cairn and Rebecca Coghill, who opened their four current wines in the dappled late afternoon sun on the eve of Harvest Hawke's Bay in November this year.
The couple purchased the brand in April this year from founder Neal Cave, whose vineyards had been decimated by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023; the infamous weather event that destroyed some vineyards in the Bay, leaving many others relatively unscathed.
"We're glad to have the opportunity to take this brand forward," says Cairn, who has made Alchemy wines for Neal Cave for the past four years and was keen to save the brand as it retains an existing wine identity and allows him and Rebecca to forge their own path.
The current wines are made from a range of vineyards in different areas of the Bay, including Montepulciano Rosé made from a vineyard at Black Barn in the Havelock Hills, Chardonnay from Osawa Vineyard at Maraekakaho, Pinot Noir from cooler, elevated inland sites and Elixir, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from the original Alchemy Vineyard which was situated in the lower part of the Dartmoor Valley, prior to Cyclone Gabrielle, which sadly wreaked devastation on the site.
The four wines pictured represent a wide range of locations, micro climates, elevations, soil types and flavours from Hawke's Bay, revealing the diversity of the region's wine possibilities. These wines all taste relatively youthful now with potential to age, thanks to their structured styles in which both tannin and acidity provide a framework for these wines. The exception is the rosé, which is made to enjoy in its youth as a fresh, young wine, which can hold its own for the next couple of years.
Try these
2024 Alchemy Montepulciano Rosé RRP $30
Montepulciano is one of the great red grapes of Italy and has found a relatively tiny niche on warm vineyard sites in Hawke's Bay where is used to make small volumes of fleshy reds - and also this dry rosé. Freshness and light bodied ripe plum fruit flavours come to the fore in each sip of this wine, which has great balance and a lingering finish of red berry flavours in a dry style.
2023 Alchemy Chardonnay RRP $32
Full malolactic fermentation adds richness and depth to this creamy, full bodied Chardonnay made from grapes grown on the Osawa Vineyard in Hawke's Bay. Flavours of caramel and spice offer great upfront appeal, leading into layers of citrus, apple and peach; fruit flavours that run the gamut of freshness to voluptuous roundness.
