A beauty from Marlborough 100% made with Pinot Noir grapes.

A savoury and fruity drop with aromas of Himalayan pink salt, overlaying nuances of watermelon, persimmon, peach, and wild strawberry. The zesty palate exudes blackcurrant, crushed red berries, sherbet, and a seasoning of umami. This elegant rose is

Dry, dark and full bodied fleshy black plum flavours with a beautiful silky textured mouthfeel. This single vineyard Pinot Noir is made from  hand picked grapes grown on the Wrekin Vineyard in the Southern Valleys, Marlborough. Most of the grapes were destemmed with a small portion of 15% whole bunches to add structure and weight to the wine, which was fermented warm (up to 31 degrees Celcius) then transferred to French oak, 27% new for 10 months of ageing. This wine has hints of smoky flavour with a rich, dense earthy aroma leading into beautiful dark fruit flavours of plums and black cherries.

Whitehaven Wines began life in 1994 as a romantic business for a couple of corporate escapees, Sue and Greg White, who had given up life in the rat race of Auckland for another kind of life aboard their yacht. When sailing around the country, they took shelter in the Marlborough Sounds from Pacific storms and fell in love with the region. An easy thing to do when harbouring in the spectacularly pristine waters of the Sounds. They decided to settle there on terra firma once more and try their hands at wine production, hiring a winemaker and beginning a business which has now been around for 26 years. Greg has sadly passed away now, leaving a legacy as well as his wife and daughter, Sam, to run the winery. Their winemaker is Peter Jackson.

Bright flavours, fresh and light in style - and lighter in alcohol too with 9% ABV. Sauvignon Blanc is well suited to lower alcohol wines because it's so intense in flavour and this lively wine expresses that with its tropical fruit aromas, fresh herb tastes and its fresh zesty acidity, which adds balance and length of taste.

A great wine to drink when you want less alcohol but still want to enjoy a drink or two. That little bit less alcohol makes a big difference... and here's a tasty example which is also dry in style with 5 grams residual sugar (that's natural sugar from the grapes, retained from stopping the fermentation early). 

Fabulous Pinot Noir with amazing depth of flavour especially at this price; a wine that really puts Marlborough's best foot forward thanks to winemaker Rebecca Salmond, who sources grapes from the region's Southern Valleys. Flavours are of ripe cherry, blackberry and spice lead into a lovely, elegant yet weighty palate with superb fruit ripeness and intensity. This wine will continue to age for two years plus and pairs well with lighter red meat dishes.

In Marlborough, our season starts with Pinot noir, and we have always been longing for a late season red grape variety to complement our range. Jeff and Vanessa Hammond’s Beacon Hill sits adjacent to their Comelybank vineyard, our foundation block for Pinot noir. It is an early site, which lends itself well to a late-ripening variety like Syrah. I felt that a site in the Southern Valleys was more likely to be successful than in one of the later ripening sites in Marlborough. There is an ancient riverbank which shelters part of the vineyard from cool winds, and a block of Syrah was planted to take advantage of this warmer mesoclimate.

This is a new grape variety for us, though I see great potential for Marlborough Syrah. We are big fans of Côte-Rôtie, of northern Rhône Syrah. We wanted to have a crack at doing it ourselves. I think Syrah is a great cool climate grape variety. The Syrah wines from Marlborough have a finer tannin structure, more peppery notes and brambly fruit than the bigger examples that are produced in some warmer regions. This wine is beautifully perfumed and floral with ripe berry fruit flavours, best complemented with the right amount of new oak to deliver spice but not obscure our Marlborough fruit vibrancy.

The vineyard is cropped moderately and well-manicured. Fruit is well-exposed, and the wines deliver excellent colour, even when using the same gentle extraction programme we would use for Pinot noir. In the winery, I treat it just like Pinot because I want it to be bright and aromatic and not over extracted. I use a five day cold soak, daily manual punch-downs and pressing off at dryness. The wine went to a mixture of barrique and hogshead with 20% new oak for 10 months’ barrel maturation.

2024 vintage

96 POINTS
”Striking hues of purple and dark red with a ruby and pink rim lead to a bouquet of purity and ripeness, perfumed scents of violets and ripe red berries with blackcurrant and dark raspberry flesh then a layer of quietly spoken barrel spice and earthy qualities of silty light clay ideas. A dry, taut and poised wine touches the palate first, releasing slowly flavours of fleshy salivating red berry fruits, spice and blackcurrant to reflect and mirror the bouquet. Tannins deliver a firm youthful tension enhanced by the backbone of acidity and saline ideas on the finish. A flick of violet completes the tasting. A delicious wine with best drinking from late 2027 through 2035+.” APR 22
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Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

2024 vintage

95 POINTS - OUTSTANDING
”An enticing, pure fruited bouquet with a complexity from mineral and sea spray ideas, cape gooseberry, peach and red apple flesh then citrus. As the wine opens out warming in the glass the aromas and flavours of grapefruit and white spice, lemon verbena and fresh sage with a touch of Thais basil. Plenty of stony mineral and a light sea spray complexity along with a backbone of acidity and lengthy fruit-led finish. Taut and ripe, lengthy and well made with best drinking from day of purchase through 2031.” APR 26

Commercial Description

This Pinot Noir is from our Ballochdale Vineyard, high in the Awatere Valley, Marlborough. This is the first wine Sir George made from this vineyard he acquired in 2023. The vineyard sits at 300m high and is one of the highest and most southerly vineyards in the Awatere Valley, Marlborough.

In Appearance : Deep ruby-red
On the Nose : a bouquet of cherries, red berry and Christmas cake spice with hints of vanilla and chocolate.
On the Palate : The palate has beautiful ripe, dried fruit and zest notes with a silky, fine structure. It has a brilliantly long finish from textured, mature tannins and bright acidity.

A finely composed yet generous Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2025 displaying aromas of citrus blossom and grapefruit, seamlessly interwoven with subtle French oak spice.  Weighty palate and beautifully textured, layered flavours of ripe lemon curd, ginger and fresh nectarine.  Delicious!

Bright and expressive aromas of lime zest, kiwifruit, passionfruit, and fresh nettle, delivering a vibrant and layered nose.

A refined yet intensely vibrant Sauvignon Blanc from the Awatere Valley, showcasing exceptional fruit purity and depth. Aromas of passionfruit, kiwifruit, gala apple and kaffir lime leap from the glass, leading into a boldly expressive palate layered with ripe melon, lime zest, and crisp green apple acidity. Full-bodied and beautifully textured, the wine is underpinned by striking minerality and a long, refreshing finish, flavoursome, elegant, and highly enjoyable.

An opulent, fullbodied Marlborough PinotNoir, harvested from a low yielding single vineyard. Fragrant red berry aromas and hints of spice extend to an opulent palate of ripe cherry, chocolate and dark plum. Beautifully structured and rich concentration from French Oak maturation.
Produced only in selected vintages.

Hawke’s Bay Rosé with character, charm, and a perfect balance of freshness and flavor.

Alc 13%

"The Swiss couple make wonderful handmade reds and whites from an array of grapes, from Viognier to Nebbiolo. In fact, the barrel of Nebbiolo they make is like something from the best of Barolo. Unfortunately, they are tiny production." James Suckling, October 2022 (Suckling is internationally regarded as one of the world's most influential wine critics.)

The wine that dreams are made of must have been a Nebbiolo. A gorgeous wine balanced and poised with heady aromas of floral and light red fruit. On the smooth, juicy palate, polished tannins support succulent cherries, prunes, wild herbs and truffle. It’s already delicious and accessible but will age like your best Barolo or Barbaresco.

Tasting Nebbiolo is an arresting experience because the floral and light red fruit aromas suggest a wine much lighter than it is. Tasting blind it is easy mistaken for a great Grand Cru Burgundy with its firm grip of the pronounced acidity and ethereal structure. This Nebbiolo is without rival, we felt transported to Piemonte, reminiscing of wild herbs, cherries, truffles and prunes. The silky, soft texture and delicious sweetness of the extracts, upheld by a great acidity enough to make the mouthfeel velvety and seductive. A truly regal wine - pure, elegant and perfectly balanced that will last forever if you have the heart to keep it aside.