A field blend of organically grown Sauvignon Blanc (33%), Riesling (33%) and Gewurztraminer (33%). Hand harvested and whole bunch fermented as one and left to its own devices and in peace until bottling with no additions apart from a touch of sulphur dioxide – 100 % orange.

Field Notes:
Vineyard | Brawn Vineyard Estate
Picked | 27th March 2024 a Leaf Day
Skin Time | 108 days
Alcohol | 12%
TA | 4.5
pH | 3.66
RS | 0
Colour | orange
Palate | breakfast negroni impersonator | fresh | saline | juicy tannins
Ben Says | “Perfect late at night at the bar with quiet conversation, thoughtful prose and slightly secret intent”
Bottle Date | 6th November 2024 a Fruit Day
Bottles | 4945

Te Mānia Pinot Noir Rosé is a soft, subtle, fruity and elegant wine.  Nicely chilled this wine is a perfect aperitif as well as complimenting a wide range of foods.

Tasting:  Attractive, vibrant raspberry and red berryfruit aromas. Delicious fruity  cranberry, red cherry and crunchy green apple flavours with a seamless palate and a clean, crisp dry finish. 

Wine Making:  Our grapes were de-stemmed, crushed and left 6 hours in the press to impart the Rose’s beautiful colour. The juice was then moved to stainless steel tanks where it was cool fermented to preserve the vibrant fresh Rose characters.

Certified Organic: Yes. 

Diet: Suitable for a vegan diet.

 Analysis: Alcohol 13.0%, Acidity 7g/L, Residual Sugar 4g/L     

WINEMAKING NOTES

The grapes for this wine were sourced from the lower terrace of the Askerne vineyard, across different soil profiles from sandy silt through to gravels, giving wonderful complexity to the individual parcels that make up the blend. Each batch was fermented as individual varieties followed by extended post maceration on skins to build richness. After pressing, the wines were settled and racked to oak barriques. Here they completed malolactic fermentation and were matured for 12 months before blending. The final blend was made up of 76% Carménère, 12% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre and 1% Malbec and with a 40% new oak component, and 40% second fill.

ANALYSIS

pH 3.87 TA 5.7g/L Alc 13.0% TASTING NOTE An intriguing blend with heady aromas of sweet vanillan spice, blackberries, subtle notes of tobacco, cardamom and black pepper. The palate is rich and flavoursome, with layers of dark berry fruits, and velvety vanillan tones. Fine tannins provide elegant structure, and its juicy concentration gives it a deliciously long finish.

WINEMAKING NOTES 

The fruit for this wine is a blend of Clone 15 (32%), Mendoza (23%), Clone 548 (22%), Clone 95 (21%) and Clone 1066 (2%) grown on the sandy silt soils of the lower terrace of the Askerne vineyard. Hand-picked and whole bunch pressed, the juice was transferred to barrel for fermentation. The barrels were a mixture of both wild and inoculated ferments and 75% of the blend completed malolactic fermentation.  The wine was subsequently aged for 10 months with lees stirring to add volume and complexity. The final blend has a 25% new French oak component, and 18% 2nd fill. 

ANALYSIS pH 3.36 TA 5.7g/L Alc 13.0% RS 1.4g/L 

TASTING NOTE 

Beautifully layered aromas of nectarine and peach, lemon curd, sweet scented oak spice, savoury creaminess and perfumed florals fill the nose. The palate is rich and juicy, with generous fruit concentration, spiced oak flavours and a deliciously long finish.

This is Astrolabe winemaker Simon Waghorn's delicious take on Albarino and it's made from grapes grown in a quirky location, to say the very least. All grapes in this wine were hand picked from their coastal home at Kekerengu, south of Blenheim. It is the southernmost vineyard in the Marlborough region and only Astrolabe makes wine from the small vineyards planted there. This cool location provides slighter higher acidity and zestiness to the wines made from there.

Whole bunch pressing and fermentation on solids followed by lees aging provide this wine with depth and body, which balances the naturally high acidity that is innate to the Albarino grape - a native grape to north west Spain and Portugal and now at home in New Zealand. 

Flavours in this wine are all about green apples and lemon with a green olive note on its dry finish. 

This is the ultimate wine to drink with seafood on a hot day.

The story of Astrolabe

Diversity, history and family ownership are among the reasons to try the outstanding range of wines from Astrolabe, which was founded in 1996 in Marlborough by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his partner in life and wine, Jane. 

Simon has forged a reputation for being one of New Zealand's most respected producers of aromatic white wines after winning an almost embarrassingly long string of awards for his Sauvignon Blancs. He has also forged a name for adventurously diverse winemaking - he produces dry flinty whites from the most southern vineyard in Marlborough at Kekerengu on the coast about an hour's drive south of Blenheim. He is the only winemaker to produce wines from here. 

He is also one of the few in this country to make Albarino, Chenin Blanc and a consistently outstanding range of wines from the organically certified hillside sloping site that is the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. 

The winery remains family owned and is now run by two generations, including Simon and Jane as well as their adult daughters. 

Lovely light bodied Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough's Whitehaven winery, which produces the incredibly good value for money Mansion House Bay range of wines as a little sibling to its main brand. 

This is a light and dry Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand's biggest wine region and its flavours are fresh, crisp and taste of green apple and pear with a lingering finish. This is very good value for money.

Savoury dried herbs and earthy notes lead into this impressively structured Pinot Noir from the Gibbston Valley, the last region typically to harvest its grapes each year in Central Otago. This cool climate is expressed in this wine in the high acidity and dried herb notes, which add depth and complexity to the weighty red plum notes and lovely full body. An impressive wine from a very good vintage and likely to shine in 10 years' time - if it lasts that long. 

Released and on the market now. Ageing time: potentially 10 to 11 years+.

The four Valli Pinot Noirs

The four sub regions that winemaker Grant Taylor makes Pinot Noir from each year encompass widely varying landscapes, soil types and climates from the maritime influenced weather in the Waitaki Valley Vineyard on the ironically named Grant's Road; a site that Grant Taylor owns, through to the semi continental climates of Gibbston, Bannockburn and Bendigo. 

Bendigo

Valli Bendigo Pinot Noir is made from grapes grown on the Chinaman's Terrace Vineyard in Bendigo, Central Otago. This elevated vineyard was planted in 2005 between 314 metres and 374 metres above sea level with five different Pinot Noir clones; Abel, 115, UCD5, 667 and 777. The soils are shallow sandy loams with a high clay content and also include a small lower section with gravel soils.  Bendigo has a semi continental, arid climate. The vines are cane pruned and grow on a vertical shoot positioning (VSP) trellis.

Bannockburn

Valli Bannockburn Pinot Noir is made with grapes grown on the Hall Vineyard, which was planted in 2000 in Bannockburn at 350 metres above sea level. This area has a semi continental climate. It is planted with six different clones of Pinot Noir; namely, 777, 115, 10/5, UCD5, 113 and 13. The soils here are wind blown loess over schist bedrock. They are deep, moderately sandy and free draining. The vines are cane pruned and grow on a vertical shoot positioning (VSP) trellis.

Gibbston Valley

Valli Gibbston Pinot Noir is made with grapes grown on the Gibbston Highway, which were planted between 1999 and 2000 at between 343 and 351 metres above sea level. The Pinot Noir clones on this site are 777, 115, UCD5 and 114. Soils are alluvial loess which ranges from 0.5 to 1 metre deep over firm river gravels.

Rainfall is lower here than in Bannockburn and Bendigo. The climate is considered semi continental. The vines are cane pruned and grow on a vertical shoot positioning (VSP) trellis.

Waitaki Valley

Valli Waitaki Pinot Noir is made with grapes grown on Grant's Road in the Waitaki Valley, a maritime influenced climate planted between 2004 and 2005 at 200 metres above sea level on limestone based soils. River gravels also make up some of the soil type here and vines are cane pruned and grow on a vertical shoot positioning (VSP) trellis.

The Vines in the vineyard are closely planted and have a low fruiting wire, giving very small vines which produce intensely flavoured fruit. Most clones are harvested and fermented separately, except for 15 rows that contain a mixture of the Dijon clones that are treated as one parcel and co-ferment for added complexity. 

On the nose aromas of plum dominant with mouth-watering notes of mushroom and forest floor. Sensitive oak handling has added a subtle vanilla and spice aspect.

Palate shows soft and lush, with a fleshy supple palate and fruit driven finish.
This wine will continue to develop for up to 10 years from vintage date.

This beautifully crafted, Single Vineyard Pinot Noir comes from our 3 hectare Tussock Ridge Vineyard. Situated on the edge ofa high terrace in the middle of the Alexandra Basin, amidst spectacular mountains in the Central Otago region of New
Zealand. The vineyard overlooks the Clutha River between Alexandra
and Clyde and is located just above the Central Otago Rail Trail.

Tasting
It's fabulously perfumed and enticing on the nose, showing dark berry, smoked game, dried mushroom and hazelnut aromas, leading to a concentrated palate that's opulent and beautifully flowing. Splendidly framed by finely infused tannins, finishing wonderfully long and velvety.

Winemaking
All the fruit was hand harvested before being 100% destemmed before a long, slow maceration. The fruit was fermented slowly then gently pressed before spending
10months in French oak barriques. The wine is a selection of our best barrels of the season before bottling. The wine is filtered and un-fined.

You could say that Durvillea Sauvignon Blanc has a lot to live up - it's Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc's baby brother after all. And like its older sibling, this wine offers consistently outstanding quality, especially when the price is taken into consideration.

Fresh, refreshing, succulent and crisp. Everything you want in a Sauvignon Blanc, and more.

The story of Astrolabe

Diversity, history and family ownership are among the reasons to try the outstanding range of wines from Astrolabe, which was founded in 1996 in Marlborough by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his partner in life and wine, Jane. 

Simon has forged a reputation for being one of New Zealand's most respected producers of aromatic white wines after winning an almost embarrassingly long string of awards for his Sauvignon Blancs. He has also forged a name for adventurously diverse winemaking - he produces dry flinty whites from the most southern vineyard in Marlborough at Kekerengu on the coast about an hour's drive south of Blenheim. He is the only winemaker to produce wines from here. 

He is also one of the few in this country to make Albarino, Chenin Blanc and a consistently outstanding range of wines from the organically certified hillside sloping site that is the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. 

The winery remains family owned and is now run by two generations, including Simon and Jane as well as their adult daughters. 

Aromas of rich Black Doris plum, fresh blackberry and Xmas spices, with a hint of sweet French oak. Powerful yet elegant and precise in the mouth showing perfume, spice and dark ripe fruit. The tannins are ripe and chalky and balance beautifully with the intense fruit and spicy seam that runs through the wine. It is vibrant and youthful with an elegant acid backbone that lends itself to wonderful aging potential.

Our grapes were grown on a hillside vineyard with views over the Tukituki river, and old riverbed vineyards, inland of Has-tings. In 2020, we had a very warm, dry and settled season. A warm summer and a dry Autumn produced some stunning Hawke’s Bay wines. The yields were kept low to maximise colour and intensity and come from MS, 470 and Limmer clones of Syrah that each offer a unique expression.

Most of the fruit was completely destemmed into open top tanks and left to sit for up to seven days until it began to fer-ment. We have included a small portion of whole bunch to offer greater structure and increased floral aromatics. We initially pumped over or plunged gently and then with gusto as it fermented. Primary ferment lasted for around eleven days, then the wine was held on skins for up to a total of 25 days. It was pressed and run to the cellar to be aged in French oak barriques through winter before it went through malolactic fermentation in spring. The wine was then rested until blending on the 3rd June 2022, before bottling unfined.

One of our absolute faves here at Regional Wines. Central Otago based, Austrian born and bred winemaker Rudi Bauer is the mastermind behind the stunning wines at Quartz Reef winery, which he founded and then furthered his own career by studying biodynamics and organics. All of his Quartz Reef wines are certified by both BioGro and Demeter for biodynamic production.

The grapes for this Blanc de Blanc were hand picked and had their second fermentation in bottle followed by 60 months aging on lees. It was riddled and disgorged by hand and has refreshing citrus notes and irresistible bakery aromas which highlight the great suitability of world's southernmost wine region for sparkling wine production.

This is a great example of world class méthode traditionnelle.