On a recent trip to Marlborough I tasted my way through many a winery, of which some were huge and impersonal, others huge and very personal, and there there was Fromm.
This winery in Marlborough is, to my mind, the most complete Marlborough winery in existence today. Although there are three labels under the one winery, Fromm, La Strada, and William Thomas, the core values and understanding of terroir driven wines remains the focus.
We tasted the wines and then went through their complete operation. They are small, almost boutique, but make wines of unbelievable quality for Marlborough. They are comparable to a little haven of France and should be given their own Appellation.
One of the things that impressed me, and was evident in their wines, was their approach to the land on which they serve. They are Biodynamic and live in harmony with nature. The environment felt healthy, the staff seemed happy and very interested in telling us about the land and style of wines they are striving for.
The guys at Fromm make me believe in New Zealand wine again. It is not all about making as much money as possible but about making the best wine possible and not raping the land for all it is worth. All the wines are made in small amounts and are extremely impressive.
Who says that Marlborough cannot make Pinot Noir? I used to but don not these days. They are making some of New Zealand's best and closely resemble Burgundy, and their Syrah is stunning.
All of the wines that we tasted showed incredible balance and restrained use of oak with great purity of fruit. And a wine that we tasted not for sale (Syrah, Malbec, Viognier, Merlot, Rousanne, and Cabernet Sauvignon) was great. It was full of depth and complex as hell with beautiful texture on the palate. If only people could get their heads around it, it would definitely be a winner in blind tastings.
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