Incredible Albariño grapes harvested from Doug Bell’s vineyard in Gisborne. These are the very first 18 rows planted in New Zealand – make that Australasia! Planted in 2009 with a mass selection of Albariño vine plantings and dry-farmed on clay loam soils.

Felton Road winemaker Blair Walter and owner Nigel Greening (who bought the winery in 2000) are a formidable team producing elegant, powerful southern Pinots from their estate vineyards, all now organically and biodynamically certified. 

Lifted aromas of fresh cut culinary herbs, white flowers, lavender and lemon curd, with nuances of nutty spicy oak. As the wine opens, aromas of hazelnut, lilac, jasmine, white peach and orange blossom emerge. The palate is super intense and beautifully defined. Complex fruit aromas mingle with savoury depth, as the palate is driven by bright citrus line and length. The tightness and power to the finish is outstanding. There is a delightfully fine texture, beautiful acid thread and super fine phenolics on the finish. Power, intensity, elegance and grace. Cellar 6-12 years.

Established in 1864 by Jean Désiré Féraud, Monte Christo is the birthplace of Central Otago wine. Our wines are made with 100% estate-grown fruit sourced from our vineyards across three distinct sub-regions, the Alexandra Basin, Bannockburn and Pisa. Utilising sustainable farming practices and minimal intervention methods in the winery, the outcome is elegant, refined, and impeccably balanced wines epitomising the terroir of Central Otago.

Tasting note Dry, medium-bodied and luscious, with pronounced notes of fresh yellow apple and pear, white peach, melon and honeysuckle.

VINEYARDS

Vineyard: Davishon (69%)

Subregion: Alexandra Basin 

Elevation: 160m 

Clone(s): 6, Mystery clone 

Soil: Blackmans alluvial sand, silt and gravels derived from schist and sandstone 

WINEMAKING

Brix: 22.3

Fermentation: 80% stainless steel and 20% neutral French oak

Aging: Four months in stainless steel Cases

A Central Otago Pinot Noir from New Zealand cricketing legend, Ross Taylor. This one is named after Ross Taylor's highest test score of 290, scored at the WACA in Perth on November 16, 2015.

Bright tropical fruit, balanced with crisp acidity, dry on the finish.

A Kosher-certified wine.

WINEMAKING NOTES

This wine was made from 100% MS Clone Syrah grown on the stony and sandy lower terrace of the vineyard. The grapes were fermented in open top tanks.  The ferments also included a 10% Syrah whole bunch component as well as 4% Viognier for added complexity.  Gentle hand plunging was used for extraction. The wine was then held on skins for a total of 4 weeks giving an extended period of post ferment maceration to build richness. The wine was then pressed and racked to French oak barriques where it was aged for 9 months. The final blend has a 20% new oak component and 60% second fill.

ANALYSIS

pH 3.75
TA 6.3g/L
Alc 12.5%

TASTING NOTES 

Fragrant and expressive, full of crunchy berry fruits, florals and scented spices, wild herbs and nuanced gamey notes. The palate plays on concentrated berry fruits and earthy complexity, balanced against bright acidity bringing wonderful length and flavour vibrancy through to the end.  Fine tannins gently fill and flow seamlessly through the wine.

A sturdy, mid-weight red showing layers of raspberry, black cherry, and a hint of liquorice. Smoky oak and a core of stony minerality add depth, while firm, drying tannins provide structure and grip. It’s a bold, slightly untamed style that promises to reward a few years tucked away in the cellar.

Vinification

All fruit is estate grown organically, with the majority of the clone being Mendoza. All our Chardonnay is hand harvested and whole-bunch pressed,
but they are lightly crushed first, this allows the juice to be extracted at very low pressures. Each parcel of fruit is kept separate and vinified and aged
individually. The juice is allowed to oxidise pre-ferment which makes the final wine more vibrant, long-lived and intensely flavoured as finished wine.
All parcels take most of the lees from pressing to barrel for wild fermentation and are aged in French oak with 25% being new. To keep the structure of
this wine, we allowed only 50% of the barrels to go through spontaneous malolactic fermentation, with no battonage. The total time in barrel is about
10 months before being combined into one blend in mid-February, The wine stays in stainless steel tank for 6 months on lees which allows for the acid
to become precisely defined and adds texture - then finished with no fining and only gentle filtration.

Wine
Green gold with silver flecks.
Aromas of grapefruit, orange zest, grilled white stonefruits, chared applewood with underlying peach blossom and oystershell.
Fresh citrus dominates with crunchy nectarine, crystalized pineapple, sweet baking spice and a saline minerality in support. A fine acid structure is
coated with a silky texture to give a long complex finish.

Coleraine derives its name from the Coleraine vineyard, home of John and Wendy Buck of Te Mata Estate. John’s late grandfather was born in Coleraine in Northern Ireland and the name has been maintained through the family home to the wine. Originally a single vineyard wine, from 1989 Coleraine has been an assemblage of the finest wines produced from distinct plots within Te Mata Estate’s oldest vineyards on the Havelock Hills.

Te Mata have dubbed the 2023 Coleraine 'The Return of The King'.
In the realm of fine wine, Coleraine is Te Mata’s crowning jewel – a cabernet sauvignon that embodies the essence of the variety’s title: The King of Grapes. 

The latest vintage, the illustrious 2023, reigns supreme with a level of expression and finesse as robust as its lineage.  A stately example of coastal cabernet, the 

Coleraine ’23 harmonizes intricate varietal notes with an elegant structure  and a power that feels both balanced and commanding. At its core lies the indomitable characteristics of cabernet –  the grape upon which Coleraine’s reign has always been built.

Te Mata’s cabernet collection, sourced from seven noble selections across 24 vineyard parcels, is majestic in the  Coleraine ’23 blend, commanding a regal 80% of the composition. Joined by 15% merlot and a touch of  5% cabernet franc, this royal assembly reflects the multitude of soil types and vineyard sites that define our  sub-regions. Coleraine is New Zealand’s greatest red wine – a true returning king in every sense.

Swiftsure Sauvignon Blanc is blended from carefully selected sites to capture the essence of Marlborough. Like contrasting combinations of colour, the vivid hues and muted shades of the Marlborough landscape and the tinted waters of both river and sea evoke a sensation of the purity of nature captured within the wine; mineral, fresh, ripe, and delicious.

Their Southern Coast Vineyard is situated in Marlboroughs southernmost sub-region in the shadow of the Kaikoura Ranges.

Its relatively elevated position and the influence of the cooler coastal climate and sea breeze result in lower yields and concentrated flavours.

Bursting with aromas; an abundance of tropical fruits, crisp citrus, punchy jalapeno, and fresh herbs this wine showcases the intensity that has made Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc famous the world over. The palate is refined and classical with a vibrancy of fruit and a mineral purity that creates a sense of sophistication and elegance.

Tasting Notes
Nectarine stone, honey dew and lemon zest on the nose lead to a rich creamy texture, finishing with freshness and poise. A fantastic aperitif style that is also well matched with richer dishes of cheese, pork, charcuterie, seafood and poultry.
About the Wine
Grown at Red Bank Vineyard, Alexandra and featuring the Proprietor’s Grandfather, Sydney Neill Wine Merchant, on the label, Picnic Riesling is our perennial favourite and a wonderful introduction to the pleasure of Central Otago Riesling. We think it is just as much a dinner wine as a luncheon – equally enjoyable at home outdoors, as at the Captain’s Table. Hand harvested and crafted in to a delicious refreshing off-dry style appealing to just about everyone on the planet.

Vintage Comments
A mild, wet 2022 winter meant soils held a lot of water going into the spring and inter-row companion crops including clover, phacelia and barley got off to a strong start. Early spring was very cold and then as spring warmed up in November shoot growth was strong. Flowering started the first week in December and fruit set was considered good on most blocks. Mid-summer heat was high and growing degree days were above 2022 and on par with 2019 by the end of the season.

Picking dates were moving forward until the second half of March when the heat ran out and the final ripening was slow and cool. Harvest started on the 27th of March at Red Bank Vineyard and finished on the 21st of April at The First Paddock, Gibbston. Cropping levels were just short of the optimum 2022 crop.

VINEYARD MANAGEMENT - Soils are schist based gravelly loams. Own roots – cane cuttings from Felton Road. Single cane, one bunch per shoot and very close planted at 5500 vines per hectare. Both shoot and lateral thinned to reduce crop load. Leaves that expose the grapes when ripening are also plucked off to increase sunlight exposure in to the vine canopy. Hand harvested.

WINE MAKERS NOTES - Hand harvested on the 17th April 2023 at 21 Brix and whole bunch pressed, meaning that the press was loaded with the grapes as intact bunches, versus removing the stems first. This pressed juice was then steeped on those skins (in wine language we call that ‘skin contact’) for 14 hours to extract aromatics and flavour and then it was inoculated with yeast and fermented to ‘just off-dry’ wine. We then left the wine sitting in tank on its lees (spent yeast cells that boost body and complexity) for three months before bottling. Please note the International Riesling scale on the back label.

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.

As soon as we released this wine, it was loved by all. It truly is a gorgeous example of a perfectly crafted Marlborough Pinot Noir. We are so proud to share it with you.

Something a little unusual from Marlborough. Originally from North-eastern Italy, this tiny parcel was sourced from the Stanley Estate plantings in the Awatere Valley. It shows dark fruit characters, a little Awatere spice and a fresh, lively acidity. It's a slightly more robust red than our usual Pinot Noir and a great match with a big steak over the open grill this winter.

Harvested, crushed and then fermented in small batches in oak cuves to add complexity. The ferments are hand plunged, skin contacted post-fermentation, gently pressed and then aged in a 20/80 blend of new/old French oak barriques for ten months prior to blending and bottling in late summer.