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2005 Pinot Noir

“Hand picked from the Clayridge Main Slope and Barnhouse blocks, this Pinot Noir was almost entirely handled by gravity to achieve a gentle and natural clarification in the barrel. Traditional handplunging in opentop fermenters was followed by 10 months maturation in new to four year old French barriques (25% new) to give a wine of rich ruby colour, with dark cherries balanced by subtle toasty oak notes on the palate”.

2008 Escaroth Voignier

“In 2001 Andy Laurie hand planted a single acre of the French ‘Viognier’ variety on the steepest slope of his ‘Escaroth Estate’ vineyard, high up in the hills of Marlborough’s Taylor Pass. In 2008 we hand harvested the very first fruit from this somewhat fickle grape – but it’s been worth the wait! Ripe apricots and candied orange peel dominate the nose, with richly textured stonefruit and wild honey on the palate followed by a lovely balance of fruit sweetness and fresh citrus on the finish”.

2008 Pinot Gris

“Low cropping Pinot Gris grapes grown on the gentle slopes of the Redwood Pass and in the clay based soils of the Waihopai Valley have been crafted into a complex, full bodied style of wine with ripe pear aromas, toasty notes of honey and stone fruit on the palate and a richly textured finish.”.

2008 Wild Riesling

“Grown on the steep clay slopes of the Escaroth vineyard and the free draining soils of the Omaka Valley, these Riesling grapes were picked early to maintain a balance of natural acidity and fruit sweetness. After light pressing the juice was run off to tank and fermented entirely on its own natural “wild” yeasts. Crafted in an off-dry Germanic “Spatlese” style the resultant straw/golden hued wine has lifted mineral and wild honey aromas, ripe stonefruit balanced with vibrant lime citrus on the palate and a long fresh finish.”

2009 Sauvignon Blanc

“Our 2009 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was grown in the clay soils of Ben Morven and the free draining river beds of the Wairau Valley. The resultant wine has vibrant aromas of passionfruit and ripe melon balanced with a hint of citrus, rich tropical fruit on the palate and a long fresh finish. Subtle use of seasoned French oak casks and wild fermentation on a portion of the blend adds further weight and complexity‮”

2007 PINOT GRIS

“Low cropping Pinot Gris grapes grown on the sun drenched slopes of the Escaroth Estate vineyard high in Marlborough’s Taylor Pass and in the clay based soils of the Wither Hills, have been crafted into a complex, full bodied style of wine with ripe pear aromas, toasty notes of wild honey and stone fruit on the palate and a richly textured finish. Partial wild fermentation and lees stirring in seasoned French oak barriques has contributed to this wine’s creamy texture and spicy complexity”.

Clayridge 2009 Pinot Rose

“Crafted from handpicked Pinot Noir grapes grown on our own Marlborough hillside, the juice for this Pinot Rose’ was soaked overnight on the grape berries to naturally extract its delicate pale ruby complexion, then drained off into stainless steel vats and French barriques for fermentation. Lifted aromas of red cherry and raspberry, with strawberries and cream on the palate are balanced with subtle smokey oak notes and a lingering finish”.

2007 SAUVIGNON BLANC

“Our 2007 Sauvignon Blanc was picked in a number of small parcels over a wide range of ripeness levels for maximum complexity. Subtle use of seasoned French oak casks and wild fermentation on a portion of the blend adds further weight and texture. This rich yet vibrant style of Marlborough Sauvignon has intense aromas of passionfruit and ripe melon balanced with a hint of citrus, rich tropical fruit on the palate and a long fresh finish”.

2006 Excalibur Reserve SAUVIGNON

“Our 2006 Excalibur Reserve Sauvignon has been selected from small parcels of very ripe fruit. Most of the wine was fermented using wild yeasts ,some malolactic and lees stirring in seasoned French barriques .The remainder of the blend was cool fermented in Stainless steel, then matured in barrel. Rich ripe tropical fruits dominate the aromatics with complex notes of passionfruit, papaya and banana, yet on the palate this wine has a degree of concentration and complexity that takes Sauvignon Blanc to a whole new level”.

2007 PINOT BLANC

“Pinot Blanc - Pinot Gris’ cute little sister - has grape berries that are similar in form to Pinot Gris but have a much paler complexion and a more elegant profile. Hand picked and whole bunch pressed, then wild fermented in seasoned barriques this has been crafted into a complex yet delicate style of wine with subtle floral aromas, notes of honeysuckle, spice and white peach on the palate and a surprisingly long rich finish”.

2006 WILD RIESLING

“Grown on the steep clay slopes of the Escaroth vineyard, nestled into the hills high in Marlborough’s Taylor Pass, these Riesling grapes were hand picked once they had achieved an almost translucent gold complexion. Whole-bunch pressed, the juice was then run off to tank and barrels and fermented entirely on its own natural “wild” yeasts. The resultant straw/golden hued wine has lifted mineral and wild honey aromas, ripe stonefruit balanced with vibrant citrus on the palate and a long fresh finish.”

2006 PINOT NOIR

“Crafted from handpicked Pinot Noir grapes grown on our own Marlborough hillside, the juice for this Pinot Rose’ was soaked overnight on the grape berries to naturally extract its delicate pale ruby complexion, then drained off into stainless steel vats and French barriques for fermentation. Lifted aromas of red cherry and raspberry, with strawberries and cream on the palate are balanced with subtle smokey oak notes and a lingering finish”.

2006 Excalibur Reserve PINOT NOIR

“Hand picked from the Clayridge Main Slope and Barnhouse blocks, this Pinot Noir was almost entirely handled by gravity to achieve a gentle and natural clarification in the barrel. Traditional handplunging in opentop fermenters was followed by 10 months maturation in new to four year old French barriques (25% new) to give a wine of rich ruby colour, with dark cherries balanced by subtle toasty oak notes on the palate”.

Clayridge 2008 Excalibur Reserve Pinot Gris

“Our Clayridge2008 Excalibur Reserve Pinot Gris has been selected from small parcels of our very ripest fruit that were fermented using wild yeasts, partial malolactic and lees stirring in seasoned French barriques. Intense notes of wild honey and pear are followed by a richly textured almost creamy palate with complex layers of ripe fruit right through into the long, rich finish.”

Clayridge 2007 Excalibur Reserve Noble Sauvignon

“Hand picked after an extra month of ripening on the vine, the Sauvignon Blanc grapes used to craft this luscious Dessert Wine had a high degree of Botrytis (otherwise known as “Noble Rot”) which causes the berries to raisin and concentrates the natural sweetness and flavours. After a natural wild fermentation the wine was then matured for a full year in seasoned French barriques to further increase it’s rich texture and complexity. The resultant wine has concentrated aromas of passionfruit and pineapple, ripe tropical fruit and wild honey on the palate and a rich yet fresh finish.”

2007 Excalibur Pinot Noir

“I'll write the tasting note for this wine as soon as it's ready - at this stage it's still in the cellar maturing. As soon as the wine's ready to release, you'll be the first to know. If you have any questions about this wine or what I think it will be like when it's finished please use the 'Talk to Mike' box in the members only section and I'll come right back to you.”

2008 Excalibur Pinot Blanc

“I’ve worked with Pinot Blanc right from the beginning of my winemaking apprenticeship in Germany – where it is known as “Weiss Burgunder” (White Burgundy). It tends to be picked earlier than its close relative Pinot Gris and as such produces a slightly fresher style of wine with delicate lifted floral notes. We carefully hand pick our Pinot Blanc at Clayridge and then we literally just drop the whole bunches straight into the press. This process takes a little longer and yields a little less – but we get crystal clear juice straight out of the press and this enhances purity of flavour. Around a third of that juice is run straight into seasoned French barrels for wild fermentation and again this adds another layer of texture and complexity to the wine.”

2008 Gewürztraminer

“Handpicked from the Reed Family “Twin Valleys” Vineyard the grapes for our 2008 Gewurztraminer were then whole bunch pressed and run to tank and barrel for cool fermentation. Partial wild fermentation and lees stirring in seasoned French oak barriques has contributed to this wine’s creamy texture and spicy complexity. Aromas reminiscent of lychee and lavender are complemented with rich dry spice, a hint of Turkish Delight and a long rich finish”.