Auntsfield has a reputation as being one of the top wine producers in the Southern Valleys sub-region of Marlborough. The Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines produced by the Cowley family on the site of Marlborough pioneer David Herd’s original winery and vineyard are strong, fulsome and packed with flavour. The Cowleys have extended the plantings from the flat land into the north-facing hills, and that is where some of Marlborough’s most exciting wines are coming from.
It isn’t really well-known that the Cowleys have a small 0.2 ha block on the flat land planted to Riesling. The vines went into the ground in 2000, and since then the Cowleys have made a small amount of Riesling wine for a family friend. In 2016, the conditions were favourable for the appearance of botrytis cinerea, so it was decided to make an Auntsfield Late Harvest Riesling. I have the privilege of sharing my thoughts with my readers on this wine, as yet unreleased, and with the pricing still to be fixed. www.auntsfield.co.nz
