Central Otago (NZ) "on same journey as Burgundy"

From the drinks business: Central Otago is progressing ever closer towards a Burgundian model of wine production, according to one of the region’s most respected viticulturists.

James Dicey, viticulturist for Mt Difficulty Wines and his own family Ceres Wines, said the region was on the “same journey of discovery” as Burgundy, with an increasing focus on individual vineyard parcels and vine clones for its Pinot Noir wines.

Speaking to the drinks business at New Zealand Wines’ Central Otago tasting in London, Dicey emphasised the importance of soil age on varietal expression in the region.

He added that the “huge variability” of the age of the soils within the region – “from 150 years old to 350 million years old, all in the space of about 10km” – provided the right conditions for terroir-driven Pinot Noir in the same vein as Burgundy . . . . (Article continues.)

“The Cistercians created Burgundy’s largest wall-surrounded vineyard, the Clos de Vougeot, in 1336. More importantly, the Cistercians, extensive vineyard owners as they were, were the first to notice that different vineyard plots gave consistently different wines. They therefore laid the earliest foundation for the naming of Burgundy crus and the region’s terroir thinking.[1]”

Well, it took the Cistercians about 1000 years; all I can wish Mr. Dicey is good luck!