Greywacke Chardonnay 2016 is an exciting Chardonnay with a bit of age on it now that has allowed it to continue mellowing beautifully, it still has the citrussy pink grapefruit and burnt orange combined now with orchard fruit of pears and apple.  The smoked almonds, hazelnut, and freshly cut hay aromas are now more pronounced.  The rich, textural palate, is evidence of this wine’s low-intervention winemaking and it is this structure that has allowed the wine to age gracefully.  This is a bone-dry style with intensity and a distinct flinty minerality leading to a long, beautifully rounded finish.

About the region and producer

Greywacke is not just one of the finest Premium Wine Companies in New Zealand it is also the name of Country's most abundant bedrock.  Greywacke is a grey river stone found throughout Marlborough’s rivers and helps provide a vital part of the 'Terroir' in the alluvial vineyard soils.

Established by Kevin Judd and his family back in the late 2000s the business is very much a family affair.  Already exporting their wines all over the world, their ethos is to 'keep it simple and hands-on' with their small and dedicated team running everything from the Headquarters in the Omaka Valley situated in Marlborough.

Greywacke's fruit is sourced from ever maturing vineyards which are, like much of New Zealand's viticultural area, managed sustainably with increasing proportions being farmed with Organic practices.  Meticulous canopy management is carried out at these prime sites to best use the sunlight, heat and exposure to develop the grapes so that they deliver depth of flavour, freshness, richness and perfect acid balance as well as a sense of place in the finished wine.

Minimal intervention winemaking is practised so as to create wines with personality and individuality.  Wild yeast fermentations are used to find the next level of savouriness in the flavour profile and to build on the structure and texture. The Greywacke range has grown off the back of the big two South Island varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.  The Sauvignon Blanc is produced in two distinctly different styles on with cultured yeasts for consistency and the other with wild yeasts.  There are limited releases of a stunning Chardonnay, an intense, crisp, fresh, glorious Riesling and a spectacularly flavourful Pinot Gris.  Completing the the line-up is a luscious and exceedingly characterful Botrytis Pinot Gris.  Kevin Judd's vineyard photography provides the distinctive labels for his wines.

Greywacke is accredited with AMW status (Appellation Marlborough Wine), ensuring provenance, authenticity and integrity. All of their wines are made with varieties grown and vinified utilising techniques which achieve specific styles.  The objective is to deliver harmonious balance and structure to marry beautifully with the intensity of flavour.

Visit the Greywacke Website

Marlborough is located on the north east coast of New Zealand's South Island and is, understandably, best known for that distinctive and hugely popular style of wine made from Sauvignon Blanc.  With more than two thirds of New Zealand's total vineyard area, it is certainly the most important region and responsible for the growth of the Country's standing in the world of wine.

Surprisingly the first vines were planted in this beautiful corner of the South Island back in 1873 but it was not until the 1980s and 1990s that Marlborough's vineyard area expanded.  This expansion was down to rising critical acclaim, cheap available land and the ideal climate for certain varieties.

Kei puta te Wairau meaning 'the place with the hole in the cloud' is the Maori name for the region and this seems appropriate given the region gets around 100 days worth (2400 hours) of sunshine annually.  The climate is moderated by the maritime influence with the vines protected from rain by nearby mountain ranges, resulting in a long, dry growing season contributing to the intensity of flavour in the fruit.

Machine harvesting is commonplace partly because it is a large, relatively flat region and this is a cheaper option.  Actually though it is perhaps more because it has been discovered that the flavours and aromas that make Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc so distinct can be 5 to 10 times stronger with machine harvested fruit.  This is due to the grapes being quicker to the winery and therefore fresher.

New Zealand's South Island produces arguably the finest wines made from Pinot Noir outside of its natural home of Burgundy in France.  It only accounts for 10% of plantings in Marlborough but is becoming more popular all the time.  The options available are often fruit forward with cherries and red summer fruit prevalent, they range in body from medium to full in style and tend to be matured in oak.

Discover our Collection of Wines from the New Zealand Region of Marlborough.  Massively famous for some of the World's best Sauvignon Blanc, this region also produces fantastic Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Riesling.