NUMBER 1 WINERY OF NEW ZEALAND 2022
"Kusuda makes wines with wonderful purity and restrained power... they have the X-factor in spades. They also age magnificently."
THE REAL REVIEW
Tokyo-born Hiroyuki (known as Hiro) Kusuda trained as a lawyer and worked for Fujitsu, then the Consulate General of Japan in Sydney before giving it all up to pursue his other love, wine and winemaking.
He went to Germany, learned the language, enrolled at Geisenheim and then emigrated to New Zealand to pursue both the Riesling and Pinot grapes – to which a third challenge, Syrah, has now been added.
The choice of New Zealand in general and Martinborough in particular apparently came about through tasting the 1992 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir.
Hiro is a driven individual, totally focussed on seeking purity of fruit character in his wines. A key feature to achieve quality is the extremely meticulous if not fanatical sorting of the fruit, at harvest and especially on the berries before vinification.
The Claremont Motel in Martinborough has Kusuda as their most important client during vintage as hordes of pickers pay their own way from Japan to say they've been able to work with one of Japan's most highly regarded winemakers and contribute to the quality! Some stay for two days, others for a month or more.
It takes 2-3 days for 10-15 people to sort through one tonne of Pinot Noir, depending on the health of the fruit. From around 10-15 tonnes of fruit, the annual output is less than 1,000 cases. 70% of the tiny Kusuda production goes to Japan, where it has a cult following. The remainder is sold evenly in NZ, Australia and the UK.
Featured Wines
Pinot Noir
2021
"Ethereal pinot noir with floral/red rose, fresh herb, dark cherry and oyster shell/mineral are the more obvious descriptors. High energy—like a tightly wound spring that promises to reveal more of itself as it ages in bottle Impressive purity with a fine-grained texture."
97 points, Bob Campbell MW
Syrah
2020
Moderately deep colour. Delicately aromatic with floral and cherry scents that are joined by fresh herb, black pepper, dark chocolate, dark berry and spicy oak. Vibrant, high energy wine with a core of bright berry fruit flavours balanced by fine, peppery tannins. Should develop well with bottle age."
97 points, Bob Campbell MW
Riesling ‘TBA’
2020
“Delicious dessert wine with honey, honeycomb, dried apricot, wild rose, star anise, peach and pineapple flavours. An intense and powerful wine that can be appreciated now but has obvious cellaring potential.”
97 points, Bob Campbell MW