The Uncharted range celebrates its homeland; a place between the snow and the sea, where mountain ranges give way to rivers, and sunshine reigns supreme. Each wine reflects the unique sub-region where it is grown within the Marlborough region, taking on the individual characters and flavours typical to that area.
The 2020 harvest season will be one to remember for decades to come. Just as harvest had started the government announced a nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19. Despite the adversities that this put on the team, 2020 produced some spectacular results with top quality fruit and what will be an outstanding vintage.
Sauvignon Blanc fruit is hand-selected from heavy soil vineyards in the Awatere Valley, a premium sub-region in Marlborough. Awatere Valley is slightly cooler, drier, windier with higher elevation and is known for great minerality and texture.
Chardonnay is from a blend of outstanding vineyard sites located in the Southern Valleys and Wairau Valley Marlborough sub-regions. Vineyards chosen all have heavy soil which gives subtle flint character and more texture in the wine.
Pinot Noir 2019 was hand-selected from throughout the Southern Valleys, a region renowned for growing Pinot Noir with great colour, intensity, excellent texture and ripeness. The dry 2019 growing season created a bounty of intense flavours and quality within our naturally low yielding Southern Valleys vineyards. The summer was hot and dry, creating fruit with generous aromatics, intensity, texture and lovely natural acidity.
All three wines show purity and skilful 'hands-off' winemaking allow the fruit to shine with refine details. Here I review the first Giesen Uncharted range.
