Kevin Judd is in London promoting his new venture Greywacke (pronounced Greywacky). After 25 years with Cloudy Bay, Judd says he wanted ‘more time with the gum boots on and less time running reports’. But he admits it means starting from scratch again. He’s having to do everything himself – he’s the winemaker, marketing director, and IT man rolled into one.
The 2009 vintage is his first and, in the words of the Beatles, he’s getting by with a little help from his friends. He’s sourced fruit from ‘people he knows’ and has rented winery space from mates at fellow Marlborough producer Dog Point. Many of his former colleagues now work at Dog Point and it’s become affectionately termed the ‘Cloudy Bay retirement home’. Even the gardener and accountant are ex-Cloudy Bay.
In the first vintage of a new venture, you’d imagine he’d have kept things simple with a Sauvignon Blanc and perhaps a Pinot Noir. But no. Judd has made seven different wines. There’s a barrel-fermented Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and a botrytised Gewurztraminer. He’s made a Sauvignon Blanc in barrel with wild yeasts and will put two-thirds of it through malolactic fermentation to soften the harsh malic acid to softer-tasting lactic acid. It’s a Te Koko-esque approach, he says.
Judd’s first offering is his 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. It’s grassy, gooseberry-ish with heaps of lemon citrus and mouthwatering acidity. There’s about 4-5 grams of residual sugar giving a fuller mouthfeel.
He may be starting from scratch but with a quarter of a century heading up the country’s most prestigious wine operation, he’s certainly got things off the ground quickly. David Gleave MW, MD of Liberty Wines has taken on his wines, he’s just got a Danish importer, looks set to gain distribution in Hong Kong and Tokyo, and is on his way to the US next week to talk to a major distributor. Doors open for you even in an economic crisis if your name is Judd. And deservedly so.
