Who makes it?
Greywacke (pronounced Greywacky) is the Marlborough label of the Judd family and the name of New Zealand’s
most abundant bedrock. These understated grey river stones are found throughout Marlborough’s rivers and
alluvial vineyard soils. Established in 2009, Greywacke is truly a family affair and while the company now exports its
wines all over the world, the ethos is very much ‘keep it simple and hands-on’ with a small, dedicated team running
the company from Greywacke HQ in the heart of Marlborough’s Omaka Valley. The fruit is sourced from mature
vineyards in prime viticultural sites to optimise the potential afforded by Marlborough’s sunny South Pacific climate.
All vineyards are sustainably managed with substantial and increasing proportions coming from organically farmed
sites. Crop levels are restricted to enhance concentration of flavour and a long, cool growing season produces fruit
with incredible varietal intensity and bright, natural acidity. Meticulous canopy management regimes are employed
to provide sufficient fruit exposure to deliver ripeness of flavour, textural richness and optimum acid balance.
Greywacke is accredited with AMW status (Appellation Marlborough Wine), ensuring provenance, authenticity
and integrity.
Each variety is grown and vinified using techniques aimed at achieving very specific wine styles, with a common
objective of delivering concentration of flavour and a harmonious balance of texture and acidity. Minimalintervention winemaking is adopted to create wines with personality and individuality, aiming for subtle, ripe,
delicious-drinking styles. Wild (indigenous) yeast fermentations are used extensively to incorporate savouriness to
the flavour profile and build on the structure and intensity of mouthfeel.
The Greywacke range is primarily based on two varieties, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir; the sauvignon being
produced in two distinctly different styles. Limited releases of chardonnay, riesling and pinot gris complement the
line-up. Kevin’s signature vineyard photographs provide the distinctive identity of the Greywacke labels.
How is it made?
VITICULTURE Fruit was sourced from several prime vineyard sites in Marlborough’s Southern
Valleys and the central Wairau Plains (specifically Woodbourne, Renwick and Rapaura). Soil
types vary from the young alluvial soils of Rapaura and Renwick, which contain high proportions
of New Zealand’s ubiquitous greywacke river stones, to the older and denser clay-loams of the
Southern Valleys. The majority of the vineyards were trained using a two- or three-cane VSP
(vertical shoot positioning) trellis, with the balance on the divided Scott Henry canopy
management system.
WINEMAKING Harvested largely by machine during cool (often cold) night-time conditions,
the fruit was picked at high sugar levels over a 3-week period, commencing 24 March.
Transported directly to our winery in the Omaka Valley, fruit was lightly pressed to yield a
modest volume of high-quality juice. The juice was cold-settled and racked prior to
fermentation, which was primarily carried out in stainless steel tanks with cultured yeast. All
individual vineyard batches were left on lees until late May, when the blend was assembled.
The wine was bottled in early August with alcohol 13.1%, pH 3.08 and acidity 6.8 g/l.
What does it taste like?
Picture a summer picnic table – vases of white blossom, a vibrant salad of
aromatic herbs with soft, yellow peach, crunchy pear and a squeeze of juicy lime; apricot
sponge cake and custard tarts – a sweet-scented array of ripe deliciousness. On the palate,
flavours of honeydew melon and white nectarine mingle with savoury notes of crushed seashells
and a hint of chalky minerality. A fruit-driven Marlborough style with generosity and weight, it
delivers a luscious sense of ripeness that finishes with a mouthwatering lemon-sherbet zing.
