Winemakers:
Stewart Maclennan
Region:
The lower Wairau Valley which was previously part of the Wairau flood plain.
Terroir:
Soils: Deep, fertile, free-draining soils. Topography: Flat. Climate: Maritime. Slightly cooler than most of the Marlborough Valley, with a slower longer ripening period.
BLOCK: 20
Regional characteristics and contribution to uniqueness of flavours:
The free-draining fertile soils help to produce the intensity of flavour in the wine. The vineyard has an extremely healthy canopy with good leaf cover. The vine health along with the vineyard rows being slightly off the usual north-south orientation contribute to the characteristic flavours of this wine.
Winemaking:
The juice was pressed off immediately to minimize skin contact and juice deterioration following harvesting. After settling, the juice was fermented using carefully selected yeast in stainless steel at cool temperatures to retain fruit flavour and freshness. This batch was selected as a Pioneer Block wine due to its power and intensity of flavor as well as its fullness and balance.
Viticulture:
The fruit was predominantly sourced from a single vineyard owned by the Register family on the fertile, free-draining soils of the lower Wairau Valley. The fruit was carefully monitored during ripening and harvested in the cool of the evening at maximum flavour maturity and physiological ripeness.
Wine Analysis:
Alcohol 12.5% v/v
Residual sugar 3.25g/L
Acidity 8.3g/litre
pH 3.39
