WINES
Viognier
Viognier pronounced “Vee-own-yay”, is a full-bodied white wine that originated in Southern France. Most loved for its perfumed aromas of apricot, tangerine and honeysuckle, Viognier can also be oak-aged to add a rich creamy taste with hints of vanilla. If you love to brood over bolder white wines like Chardonnay, Viognier is something you should try.
Learn More About This Varietal
Tasting Notes
Vintage Overview
Warm settled weather in spring and early summer provided great conditions for flowering and fruit set, resulting in yields more aligned with the long-term average than in previous vintages.
The classic dry windy weather which Marlborough normally experiences throughout summer was replaced this year with extended periods of cloud cover and rainfall, causing some initial concern from the viticulture and winemaking teams. However, once ripening commenced the weather settled and remained fine and windy throughout harvest.
The increased soil moisture ultimately resulted in excellent canopy development and overall vine health, alleviating any initial disease concerns, and the reduced sunshine hours and cooler daily temperatures helped slow and extend the ripening period resulting in wines of intense concentration and poise. Harvesting progressed smoothly with the favourable weather conditions allowing the winemakers to hang the bunches out on the vine to achieve optimum ripeness, with picking commencing in the third week of March and completed before the end of April.
Vinification
Produced from The Angler vineyard on the banks of the Wairau River. The grapes were hand harvested in small bins in the early hours of the morning and returned to the winery. After gentle whole-bunch pressing the juice was fermented in seasoned French oak barriques. Free run juice was kept separate from the pressings and 80% was fermented with cultured yeast while the remaining when through wild fermentation. After aging in French oak the wine was blended and bottled on the Wairau River Estate.
Flavour Profile
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Apricot
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Citrus Zest
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Lime Marmalade
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Pastry
Technical Data
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Alc
13.5%
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TA
5.8 g/L
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pH
3.54
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RS
1 g/L
Harvested 5 April 2023
Vineyard Composition
Regional Overview
The Wairau Valley is one of three zones – along with the Southern Valleys and the Awatere Valley – which make up the heartland of New Zealand's Marlborough wine region. It accounts for approximately 45 percent of plantings within the wider region. An extensive patchwork of vineyards surrounds the town of Blenheim in the north-eastern corner of the South Island, near where the Wairau River meets the Pacific Ocean.
The Wairau Valley is a wide river valley that follows the Wairau River from the Spenser Mountains in the west to the Pacific at Cloudy Bay. The Richmond Mountains in the north separate it from the sunny region of Nelson, and the Wither Hills in the south protect the valley from harsh weather systems from the south-east.
In the low-lying area along the Wairau River Rapaura and Renwick are the most established zones. However in recent years vineyard plantings have extended further west along the narrow valley floor.
Wairau Valley has a warm, dry climate that is moderated during the growing season by sea breezes from Cloudy Bay. Hot sunshine during the day and cold ocean winds at night extend the ripening period in the grapes, leading to a balance of fruit complexity and acidity. This diurnal temperature variation is essential to the terroir in the Wairau Valley – without it, much of the classic punchiness of the wines made here would be lost.
Reviews
Varietal FAQs
Where are your wines made?
All our wines are made on site in our winery. We draw fruit from our 15 estate vineyards, which means they are owned by us. We built our winery in 2002.
Can I visit your vineyard / winery and do you offer winery tours and tastings?
Our Restaurant & Cellar Door is closed for the time being, and unfortunately due to health and safety regulations we are unable to have visitors at our winery.
How can I keep the wine fresh once a bottle has been opened?
To keep an open bottle of wine fresh, ensure the cap is tightly sealed after every glass pour. Our white wines and rosé should be stored, cap on, in a refrigerator to slow down oxidisation. For our red wines, keep the wine bottle out of light and stored at room temperature (below 21 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit), or in a refrigerator.
How long will your wine last when opened?
White wines are good for 1-2 days and red wines for 3-5 days if stored correctly.
