Wither Hills Vineyards Wines

Winemaker Ben Glover has quite a task on his hands, it’ his job to oversee 900 hectares of vines get crushed and produce premium wines fro Wither Hills. His passion is for Pinot and you can see why when you try this marvel from Marlborough. The Pinosity we often talk about at Cracka is apparent, showing bright cherry, spice and silky fruit when young but able to age gracefully and express darker fruits and savoury elements. A supple palate weight shows elegance and balance ensuring that this will work wonders with crispy duck.

Will Chardonnay from Marlborough ever rival Sauvignon Blanc from the region? Probably not but that’s not to say that the quality is overlooked because the winemakers at Wither Hills believe it’s going to be the next chapter. It’s got plenty going for it on the nose, hinting at lime, grapefruit and nectarine and underpinned by spicy oak. It’s structured and poised, elegant and complete with a precise fruit core and excellent natural acidity. Refined and restrained this wine would go well with the delicacy of fresh lobster with garlic butter.

Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc is one of the benchmarks of the Marlborough region and they continue to shine like a beacon in terms of quality when it comes to aromatic whites. Crafted with fruit selected from sites across the Wairau Valley it manages to encompass the spectrum of vibrant flavours that Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc has become famous for. Intense and aromatic nose with gooseberry and capsicum as well as citrus, guava and passionfruit aromas. All of these characters can be found on the seamless and refreshing palate with zippy acids and a long finish.

There are few wineries in Marlborough that could claim to be as successful as Wither Hills and the brand is world famous for producing classic Kiwi wines that represent the region in such an evocative way. This is a classic Gris style based on the wines of Alsace with varietal character of quince, pear, peach and lime. A small portion of the fruit sees time in barrel to enhance the texture and the end result is a wine that’s fresh and captures the fruit perfectly. It’s unctuous and long with a lingering finish making it the best thing to open with good company and perhaps some washed rind cheese.

White peach crab-apple, elderflower, honeysuckle and spcy nectarine notes are the aromas that come to life in this wine's gorgeous scent. Dry in style, the palate does not disappoint. A poypourri of elegant fruit flavours fill the moyth with generous balance, unctuous texture and a lingering spicy pear finish Wither Hills Awards and Accolades "Scented and mouthfilling, very finely poised wine with strong, ripe pear, spice and peach flavours, a sliver of sweetness, and excellent harmony and richness. Great value..." 4 Stars, Winestate - Michael Cooper, February 2011 "Soft, sweet and oily, with plenty of lifted grassy/passionfruit characters with hints of hazelnuts. “Chasing the right ...

Classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with a focus on freshness and varietal flavour intensity. The palate is extraordinarily balanced with bright seamless acidity, concentration of brambly, grapefruit flavours and a long supple finish. Wither Hills Awards & Accolades "Fresh, slightly herbaceous bouquet, leading into a punchy, tropical fruit-flavoured wine with excellent richness, vigour and length. Fine value." 4 Stars, Winestate - Michael Cooper, Michael Ivicevich & Nick Picone, April 2011 "You can see why this is one of the most popular Sauvignon labels, as it delivers loads of tasty flavours. The nose is ripe and fragrant with a lovely combination of ripe stonefruit and feijoa toge...

Light green-yellow; the bouquet is fragrant with gooseberry, redcurrant and tropical fruits which come again on the lush gooseberry/passionfruit-navoured palate.

Medium to full yellow-green; the stylish and tangy bouquet shows obvious barrel-ferment characters; the palate, however, is marvellously soft yet not flabby, with a textured silky delicacy surrounded by nectarine fruit and some cashew characters.

Only 250 dozen of this fleshy, powerful pinot were made, so it's rare as hen's teeth. The colour is remarkably dark and it's unusually full, lush and deeply fruity. The aromas are of spices and black cherry, with an overlay of coconutty oak which was initially rather dominant but soon integrated. It's a good drink with risotto al funghi.

Very pungent New Zealand characters on the nose. Palate has honeyed, bottle age developing.

Medium yellow-green; in the mainstream of New Zealand Chardonnay style, with fairly potent barrel-ferment aromas on the bouquet. The palate is rich and round, with figgy melon fruit, but I would still prefer a little less oak and a little more fruit focus. That said, a smart wine.

Light to medium yellow-green; the bouquet is clean, with moderately ripe fruit running from lemon/mineral through to tropical, spicy aromas. The palate is well balanced, with plenty of flavour running throughout; crisp finish.

Whither Wither Hills? Well wherever it's headed, the winery is currently located in the rather better-known-for-sauvignon-blanc region of Marlborough in New Zealand. But while the Wither sauvignon is pretty good, it is the chardonnay that lifted my shirt and tickled my tummy this year. The Kiwi winemakers love their toys, and this lush, ripe wine has had the full gamut of winemaking bells and whistles thrown at it. But damn, it's lovely.

This is a very tarry take on pinot; a meaty and brooding style, with big dark fruits and spices, brassy oak and dark plums on the nose. The palate has a big frame of tannin and a tangy acid presence, really sturdy and structured, with rich dark-cherry flavour from start to finish.

Soft, sweet and oily, with plenty of lifted grassy/passionfruit characters with

Medium yellow-green; a tangy bouquet with some Burgundian cabbagey overtones, tending on the lean side. The palate shows more of those tangy, almost sweet and sour, flavours, but has length.

Light to medium green-yellow; a strongly grassy/herbal bouquet leads on to a direct and forceful palate with herbaceous fruit and quite pronounced acid on the finish.

Lovely wine; fragrant Turkish delight/rose petal aromas and persistent candied fruit flavours with strong acid finish.

Maturing well, with vibrant, citrusy, limey flavours, fresh acid spine and a lingering finish.

Nose that "smacks of autumn fruit" and big, sweet palate - well-made and "very convincing!"