Winemaking

Handpicked grapes from our Whenua Matua vineyard in Nelson were transported to our modern winery located in the Awatere Valley, Marlborough. Once at the winery the grapes were gently pressed – with the free-run initially kept separate from the harder pressings. After both the free-run and pressings had settled they were racked to stainless steel tanks for fermentation with carefully selected strains of aromatic yeast. Once the ferment was complete, the wine was racked off yeast lees and left to mature in tank for around two months. After bottling, the wine was held back to allow it to further develop in the bottle before being deemed ready for release in late July 2016.

Viticulture

Grapes for this wine are grown entirely on our stunning Whenua Matua vineyard located in the Upper Moutere area of Nelson. Heavy clay soils and abundant sunshine help our fruit gain intensity and structure while attention to detail in the vineyard with practices such as leaf plucking, shoot thinning and an open style of canopy management aid in delivering clean, concentrated fruit. The 2014/2015 started with a mild spring; however cooler weather in November slowed the growth in the vines considerably. Cool and damp conditions over flowering resulted in a much lighter fruit set than expected throughout the many blocks. Drought conditions from January meant that unlike most years we were unable to dry farm, and the blocks had to be irrigated. Meticulous vine management from our vineyard team kept the fruit disease-free, despite high pressure caused by mild night temperatures and high dew fall. The second harvest of our Albariño fruit was carried out on the 6th April, with the vineyard providing perfectly ripe, clean fruit for the winery.

Analysis

Vintage: 2015

Alcohol: 13.5%

pH: 3.18

T/A: 8.4 g/L

R.S: 7.4 g/L