Smith & Sheth Cru is a fast-rising wine brand here and abroad. Steve Smith is a prominent industry figure. In 12 years as Villa Maria’s group viticulturist, he became a master of wine, and was later wine and viticulture director at Craggy Range in Hawke’s Bay. But who is Brian Sheth?
A former president of Vista Equity Partners, a private-equity fund based in Texas, Sheth, 47, was ranked in 2020 at No 359 on the Forbes 400 list of the richest people in the US. Vista owns more than 50 software companies. However, in 2020, Sheth withdrew from the company following a widely publicised tax evasion case against Vista’s founder, chair and chief executive Robert Smith.
Sheth loves wine and New Zealand, reports Smith. Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates, owned by Sheth and his wife, Adria, controls three wine companies here: Smith & Sheth Cru, based in Hawke’s Bay; Pyramid Valley (North Canterbury); and Lowburn Ferry (Central Otago).
Aotearoa’s strategy has been to buy established, high-achieving producers that lacked economies of scale, such as Pyramid Valley and Lowburn Ferry, and combine them under a single management umbrella, while retaining their independent brands and profiles.
For the Smith & Sheth brand, the company describes its role as a “negociant”, based on long-term grape-supply relationships with the owners of top mature vineyards.
Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2021
★★★★★
Described as a “village” rather than single-vineyard wine, this is a very age-worthy red. Hand-harvested, it was matured for over a year in French oak barrels. Deep, bright ruby, it is powerful and mouthfilling, with concentrated ripe-cherry, plum and spice flavours, showing excellent complexity, refined tannins and a lasting, very harmonious finish. Already drinking well, it should be at its best from 2025. (13.5% alc/vol) $50
Lowburn Ferry Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021
★★★★½
This ruby-hued red was grown at Lowburn, Gibbston and Wānaka, barrel-matured for a year and then aged for nine months in concrete and wooden vats. Full-bodied and sweet-fruited, it has good concentration, with savoury, nutty notes adding complexity and a smooth finish. (14% alc/vol) $45
Wine of the week
Smith & Sheth Cru Heretaunga Chardonnay 2021
★★★★★
This is a classic regional style. Fermented and matured in French oak barriques, it is fleshy and savoury, with generous, ripe stonefruit flavours, moderate acidity, finely integrated oak and excellent depth, complexity and harmony. Still youthful, it should be at its best from 2025. (14% alc/vol) $40
