Description

PRODUCER:
The Dillon’s Point subregion of Marlborough in New Zealand is home to the Glover family and their wines. After four generations of dairy farmers lived and worked on this bit of land, Owen and Wendy Glover decided to give grapes a go and pioneered vine plantings in the subregion in the 1980’s. 19 years on the estate is run by winemaker, and something of a local legend, Ben Glover. Ben is a winemaker well worth following. Since launching his career in 1995, Ben has worked at several top New Zealand estates, including Wither Hills, and was an inaugural 2001 Len Evans scholar. He has spent years honing his considerable skills, all the while working as a highly respected judge at national and international competitions. Today Ben continues to be innovative and questioning, as illustrated by his collaboration with Liam Steevenson MW as part of the ethically and environmentally excellent SPOKE project. The wines of the estate reflect Ben’s trademark expressively elegant yet characterful style in aromatic wines of, as he describes it, ‘power and place that tread lightly on your palate’. As part of that the estate achieved organic certification in time for the 2020 vintage.

VINEYARD:
The Brink vineyard was planted in 1992 and has been organic since its inception. It is located in the mid Wairau Valley on top of the Renwick terrace on silt, loam and clay soils. The low-yielding vines are trained on a VSP 2 cane system.

WINEMAKING:
Grapes are whole bunch pressed and go directly to oak puncheons (20% new) for a wild yeast fermentation and wild malolactic fermentation.

VINTAGE:
The 2021 vintage in Marlborough benefited from hot days and cool nights, a hallmark of the region. This diurnal temperature range preserves acidity while allowing the grapes to develop intense flavours.

TASTING NOTE:
Citrus peel aromas lead onto the palate, with an immediate sense of richness and weight. This is a fuller-bodied wine, structurally and texturally fascinating. This wine exhibits lemongrass, white peach and lanolin aromas, with a hint of struck match on the nose.

GRAPES:
Sauvignon Blanc 75%, Sémillon 25%.

AWARDS:
• 91 Points, James Suckling, 2024
• 92 Points, Jamie Goode, 2026