Formerly of Valmont Wines, Bryterlater is the brainchild of James Graves Opie, a former sommelier turned winemaker originally from Victoria who now resides in North Canterbury, New Zealand - more specifically here, in the Waipara Valley. Cool climate wines raised from organic sites. There are three main soil types in the valley, which is reported as having the most diverse soils of any of New Zealand’s wine regions, primarily derived from limestone. With a deft touch, the essence of site & season ring loud & true.
The results are earnest, pure & deeply satisfying displaying a range of well-composed and integrated aromas and flavours. The natural acidity highlighted across the wines serves as an elegant yet lasting framework, balanced by texture & complemented with a bounty of detail. Where fine wine & natural wine meet. It is a measure of James' instinct for maintaining a sense of clarity & authenticity, that Bryterlater’s reflections are as ethereal & ephemeral as one’s breath on a mirror.
"Bryterlater represents a certain tension in my personality between impatience and respect for the natural rhythm of things. The concept arrived during a few days off one vintage in Tasmania. I felt that the whole world was rushing to get wine into bottle, regardless of what could be achieved with a little nurturing and patience. The concept for the label came to me whilst listening to 'Bryter Layter' by Nick Drake, winding through the Tasmanian countryside in my big ol' Volvo during harvest. The album is very ethereal & whimsical, it still transports me back to that place today. This is the feeling a wine can achieve with patience and poise, thus leaving the drinker feeling brighter and more content on imbibing..."
"...Our vineyards in North Canterbury are farmed organically. Working with what different seasons and sites deliver each year guides our process. We use manual methods and work with small volumes. Our winemaking is about bottling something that is the truest statement of itself and the place it comes from - however long that takes. We focus on capturing the energy of the vineyard, work thoughtfully in the winery, and move with the vibration of the emerging wine, then release it when it’s ready. I have always gravitated toward wines that had more to tell than the sum of their parts. Wines that weren’t perfect, that spoke more of their place than the ego of their winemaker. Organics in consumption is very important to me, but organics in creation is something that I believe is essential to make natural wines. Vineyards grown from soils that are pushed to produce cannot represent the terroir or situation that they are grown in. I merely steer the wines down a path. They are the journey.”
James Graves Opie, Bryterlater
