At 100, Babich Wines remains firmly in pioneering hands.

A century on, Babich Wines remains firmly in pioneering hands.

We’re the country’s most experienced familyowned winery,” says Babich – and who would argue with that? Just over a century since the first vintage in 1916, the company, still mostly family-owned, has wineries in West Auckland and Marlborough, owns 428ha of vineyards and exports almost 90% of its output.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the founder, Josip Babich, passed control to his two sons, Peter and Joe. Today, Peter, as chairman, and Joe, as managing director, are still deeply involved, and David, one of Peter’s sons, is the general manager.

At the home vineyard in Henderson, on the edge of the Waitakere Ranges, the cellar door has recently been given a complete makeover. In a tasting of almost all of the wines sold under the Babich brand, the highlights included:

Babich The Patriarch 2014

The top red is this dark, sturdy (13.5% alc/vol), highly concentrated blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and malbec, estate-grown at the Irongate Vineyard, in the heart of the Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay. Matured for a year in French oak barriques (45% new), it is powerful, with a rich array of ripe blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours and a lasting, savoury, seamless finish. $80

Babich Winemakers’ Reserve Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2014

Still unfolding, this full-bodied (14% alc/vol) Gimblett Gravels red has deep plum, spice and blackcurrant flavours, with hints of dark chocolate and nuts. Savoury and complex, with a backbone of firm, ripe tannins, it’s well worth cellaring. $35

Babich Marlborough Pinot Gris 2015

Delicious now, this is an invitingly fragrant, weighty, fleshy (14% alc/vol) style of pinot gris. Ripely scented, it has strong stone-fruit flavours, hints of pears, ginger and spices, and a bone-dry, finely balanced finish. $22

Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Babich prefers “a fuller, riper, softer” style of sauvignon blanc for its largevolume label. The bouquet is fresh, with ripe tropical-fruit aromas; the palate weighty (13% alc/vol), with strong, passionfruit and lime-evoking flavours, appetisingly dry and crisp. $22

Michael Cooper worked at Babich Wines from 1975 to 1990.