AUCKLANDER Murray Brennan was drawn to the Gibbston region when he was a uni student at Otago.  
He bought some land in 1994 and started planting. Since 2006 his son Sean has been making wine under the family’s own Brennan label, saving for themselves the grapes they had previously supplied to world-famous Peregrine wine. The Brennans have built a swanky tasting room, with spectacular views onto mountains, vines and picnic spots.  Sean offers guided tours, including a trip to the cellar to taste from the barrel.
Brennan Gibbston Gewurztraminer 2008 ($28) is slightly off dry in my favourite lees style. It has a complex bouquet of apricot stone minerality, pear and spicy ginger aromas with a hint of pine needles.
There is heaps going on in the mouth too: with stone fruit, pears and citrus sharing the stage with musky yeasty notes. This gewurz opens up as it warms up, so pour a big glass and enjoy it as it glides through its phases.  
Brennan Gibbston Pinot Grigio 2008 ($18) is very much in the dry Italian style with intriguing yeasty lime flavours, a bit like dry Spanish sherry. Try with oysters.
Brennan Gibbston Pinot Noir ($40) is another drop that will get your mates talking with its complex nose of licorice and buttery muffins with a touch of the agricultural sheep, erm, manure and dark red boiled sweets.  Layers of flavour take turns with your tastebuds: rich salty bloody boysenberry, heavy with the body of fully ripe fruit, melds with tobacco textured tannins.
Wine of the week: Montana has just released their new Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Gris 2009 ($12). An ancient varietal from Bordeaux, it’ll satisfy the pinot gris convert who remembers when sauvignon blanc was their first love. Aromas of sav-like passionfruit mingle with the rainwater gris character.  In the mouth it has sweet mango flavours and the body of an off dry Riesling, smooth and almost syrupy, with chalky minerality and a crisp acid tail.