Description

Greywacke is an immature, grey sedimentary variety of sandstone, generally found in the Paleozoic strata. Greywacke is noted for its hardness, dark color, and diversity of haphazardly arranged angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or “lithic fragments” set in a compact, clay-fine compound.

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 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 optimize the potential afforded by Marlborough’s sunny South Pacific climate. One of Marlborough’s primary pioneers, owner and winemaker Kevin Judd was previously the founding winemaker at Cloudy Bay.

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.

We can attest this vintage is consistent and without exception to Greywacke’s outstanding track record!!!  Judd’s mastery of the grape captures the class, finesse and elegance possible to achieve in Marlborough.

“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, flavors of honeydew melon and white nectarine mingle with savory 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.” – Winemaker’s notes.