Greywacke was created in 2009 by Kevin Judd, chief winemaker at Cloudy Bay from its inception for 25 years and instrumental in the international recognition which Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc enjoys now. The name ‘Greywacke’ was adopted by Kevin for his first Marlborough vineyard located in Rapaura in recognition of the high prevalence of rounded greywacke river stones in the soils of the vineyard, a sedimentary rock which is widely found in Marlborough. Kevin Judd is also New Zealand’s finest wine photographer and has recently published a book ‘The Landscape of New Zealand Wine’.

Vineyards

All fruit was grown in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys and principally sourced from the Yarrum Vineyard situated on the Brancott / Ben Morven ridge. Typical of this subregion, the wind-blown loess soils are comprised of clay-loams with varying degrees of gravel content. The vineyards are all hillside plantings trained to two-cane VSP (vertical shoot positioning) with a vine density of 3,800 plants per hectare.

Vintage

In Marlborough, the winter of 2020 was abnormally dry and warm, which led to an early budburst. Spring brought a handful of frosts, and due to the early budburst, yield was reduced in some sites. Cool, wet weather during flowering had an adverse affect on fruit set across the region. Hot and dry conditions during the summer only added to the reduced yields. The warm weather and smaller crop size led to an early harvest which began on 2nd March. The weather during harvest was near-perfect which allowed the fruit to reach optimal ripeness without disease pressure. Overall, the 2021 vintage was smaller than initially anticpated but the fruit that was harvested had excellent concentration.

Vinification

The grapes were hand harvested and chilled overnight prior to hand sorting. Most of the fruit was destemmed into open-top fermenters, with the remaining added as whole bunches. The fruit was left to soak on skins prior to the onset of indigenous yeast fermentation, then plunged daily. After fermentation, the wine was pressed, racked and filled into French oak barriques (30% new). Individual clones were barrel aged separately for 11 months, prior to blending in February 2022. The wine was bottled in June 2022.

Tasting Notes

This wine is deep ruby red in colour with vibrant aromas of blackberries, blueberries and sweet black plums. An opulent style of Marlborough Pinot layered with notes of roasted chestnuts, clove and tobacco and hints of rose and lavender. On the palate, it has fine tannins and a smoky and lively finish.