Fromm 'Cuvee H' Pinot Noir 2016

Fromm is one of the leading wineries that I’d classify under ‘interesting Marlborough’. Most people think of this region as the home of Sauvignon Blanc, produced on a grand scale by large wineries. But scratch below the surface and you’ll find producers such as Fromm, who are demonstrating that Marlborough has interesting terroirs, and can make a diverse range of serious wines—including reds.

The winery dates back to the late 1980s when fourth generation Swiss winemaker Georg Fromm journeyed around New Zealand. On his travels he met Swiss winemaker Hätsch Kalberer (above), who was working in Gisborne, and also travelled to Marlborough. He decided to join forces with Hätsch, buy some land, and start a winery. The Fromm vineyard was born in 1992, based on a block of land in the Wairau plains, Marlborough. Fromm has recently changed hands but the Swiss connection remains: it is now owned by Pol Lenzinger, a friend of Georg’s, and his business partner Georg Walliser.

There are now four estate vineyards (Clayvin, Fromm, William Thomas and Quarters), and these make two ranges of wines. Fromm wines are more terroir-based, while La Strada wines are more style-based. Fromm are famous for their wines from the Clayvin Vineyard. Originally planted by Mike Eaton on the north-facing slopes of the Brancott Valley, it has complex clay soils, resulting in distinctive wines. Clayvin has recently been purchased by Giesen, but Fromm still have access to grapes from this site. The Fromm vineyard is the home block where the cellar door is located. It has alluvial valley floor soils, and was the original vineyard planted in 1992. Since 2013 all the Fromm vineyards have been certified organic by BioGro, and many of the vines are now dry grown. Wineanorak