We love the finesse, texture and longevity of Sauvignon Blanc from the Awatere Valley sub-region of Marlborough and that is why we choose to make an Awatere predominant blend. The majority of fruit for this 08 release comes from a vineyard owned by Ross & Marie Flowerday in the lower Dashwood area on the northern bank of the Awatere. The balance of the fruit (10%) came from the first crop from our Sauvignon Blanc vines here in Renwick. Our 2008 Sauvignon Blanc exhibits classic regional characters of white currant, gooseberry, feijoa and passionfruit with citrus undertones. These follow on to the palate - which is fine and soft with vibrant, concentrated fruit, balanced by a ripe, juicy acidity and lingering mineral flavours.
Tasting Notes: 2004   2005   2006   2007

We love Riesling as a variety for it’s purity, elegance and age ability and believe that our old vines (mostly planted in late 70s/early 80s) combined with the growing conditions here in Marlborough are capable of world class Riesling. Lifted aromas of white spring florals, Kaffir lime leaf, lemon, jasmine and a hint of musk follow on to the palate. These flavours of fresh lime juice, lemon sorbet and ripe grapefruit with hints of beeswax and floral spice are balanced by a fine backbone of ripe acidity. This Riesling is a dry style which has excellent fruit weight and concentration to balance the lingering mineral acid structure. This wine is finely structured with great length of flavour. 2008 in Marlborough was an outstanding vintage for aromatic varieties and this wine is great evidence of that. This 2008 Riesling “D” is enjoyable to drink now but will also benefit from careful cellaring for 6 -8 years.
Tasting Notes:  2004   2005   2006   2007

TORU which means “three” in Maori is an aromatic blend we have created and is made from three varieties - Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris – hence the name. We are passionate about these classic Alsatian varieties and we spent a great deal of time coming up with the right combination. We were aiming for a wine that displayed the essence of all three varieties whilst creating a distinctive and interesting wine in its own right. It has the aromatic spice and weight of Gewürztraminer, the structure and length of Riesling, and the great texture of Pinot Gris. Intensely perfumed, this wine has an intriguing nose with notes of rose petals, orange rind, pear, white florals, exotic spices and savoury notes. These lead into multi-layered palate with flavours of quince, fresh pear, citrus, apple and lychee with a lingering spiciness. The palate has excellent fruit concentration and weight with a lovely creamy texture and a mineral edge which gives it great length of flavour. 2008 in Marlborough was an outstanding vintage for aromatics and this wine is great evidence of that. Toru is a great accompaniment to a wide range of foods such as bouillabaisse, Thai yellow chicken curry, and milder Indian dishes. This 2008 Toru is very approachable now and will also benefit from careful cellaring for 3-5 years

Tasting Notes: 2006   2007

We are passionate about aromatic varieties and particularly those from Alsace so it was only a matter of time until we took on the challenge of Pinot Gris. We replanted a section of the old block here with the Berry-Smith clone (also known as Larkham clone) of Pinot Gris. We chose this particular clone for it’s low cropping, small bunches and small berries as we felt it would deliver the best quality fruit. This wine is finely structured with great length of flavour. Lifted aromas of nectarine, raspberry, red apple, nashi pear and spice follow on flavours of the same along with custard, beeswax and almond meal which are balanced by a fine, supple texture and lingering mineral acidity. This release is a dry style which has concentration, balance and great texture with layers of flavour. 2008 in Marlborough was an outstanding vintage, for aromatic varieties in particular and this wine is great evidence of that. This 2008 Pinot Gris is enjoyable to drink now but will also benefit from careful cellaring for 3 -5 years.
Tasting Notes for: 2007 

Te Whare Ra has a long standing reputation for producing one of New Zealand’s finest Gewürztraminers and much of the credit must go to the vineyard here. This wine is produced from 14 rows in the old block which were planted in 1979 and are some of the oldest vines in Marlborough. They are very low-cropping but this is worth it for the amazing complexity and concentration we get from the fruit. Intensely perfumed, with notes of lychees, rose-petals, ripe quince and cloves. These lead into luscious varietal flavours of baked quince and lychees, with underlying characters of ginger, fresh pear and exotic spice. The palate shows very intense fruit concentration and weight with a fine, soft texture and excellent persistence of flavour. This wine is of medium sweetness (RS is 14.1g/L) and continues the outstanding quality of previous vintages of our Gewürztraminer. 2008 in Marlborough was an outstanding vintage for our aromatics and this wine is great evidence of that.
Tasting Notes for: 2005   2006   2007

Lifted aromas of ripe fig, nectarine, oatmeal and toasted almond are complemented by smoky, savoury notes and hints of spice. These aromas follow on to a complex, textured palate with many layers of flavour including fresh fig and nectarine as well as savoury, mineral notes. Well integrated toasty oak and a lingering, spicy persistence complete the picture. The parcels for this 2007 release were all fermented in French oak - with a small portion of wild ferment as well as time on lees to provide added texture and complexity. All parcels underwent malo-lactic fermentation and spent 10 months on full lees before final blending. This 2007 Chardonnay is enjoyable to drink now but will also benefit from careful cellaring for 4 – 6 years
Tasting Notes:  2004   2005   2006

This wine is a blend of the six different clones currently producing on our home vineyard. Year after year as the vines mature we are seeing an increasing depth and complexity in the wines and this 2007 release (our 4th )is evidence of that. This Pinot Noir exhibits fragrant notes of ripe strawberry, black plum and cherry with hints of mocha, violets, spice and some complex savoury undertones. The finely textured, silky tannins combine with vibrant flavours of dark cherries and omega plums. The palate carries onto more savoury and complex flavours and finishes with a lingering persistence of fruit, fine tannin and well integrated oak.

Tasting Notes: 2004   2005    2006

Not every vintage in Marlborough provides the right conditions for making true botrytised dessert wines but the weather gods smiled in the latter part of the 07 harvest and presented us with the opportunity to make a Noble Riesling again. So really the weather did all the hard work and then it was up to the pickers – usually we tell them “if you wouldn’t eat it don’t pick it” but the reverse applies when hand selecting bunches for this wine. Then it is over to the yeast to do their thing and we called in a special yeast as these high sugar juices are pretty hard work for your run of the mill wine yeast. But thanks to everyone’s hard work the resultant wine is pretty spectacular and carries on the long tradition of great dessert wines from Te Whare Ra. Lifted aromas of honeysuckle, apricots, orange rind and manuka honey follow on to luscious flavours of ripe apricots, nectarines, and cumquat marmalade. This wine displays characteristic luscious Botrytis influenced flavours which are balanced by a fine backbone of ripe acidity. This wine is finely structured with great length and persistence of flavour. 2007 in Marlborough was an outstanding vintage for Rieslings and this wine is great evidence of that.
Tasting Notes: 2006

This wine is our first release of Syrah and is a blend of two different clones currently producing on the home vineyard. Fermented with a mixture of indigenous and cultured yeast and then matured for months in 50% new French oak. This Syrah exhibits fragrant notes of mulberry, black cherry and fruit cake with hints of mocha, baking spice and some complex savoury undertones. The ripe, supple tannins combine with concentrated flavours of mulberries and omega plums and spice. The palate carries onto more savoury and complex flavours and finishes with a lingering persistence of fruit, fine tannin and well integrated oak.

Tasting Notes: 2007