Marlborough
Lying at 41.3 degrees south, Marlborough has a heat summation figure of 2070 – 2250 degree days about the same amount of heat as Burgundy and slightly less than Bordeaux.
In these bright but relatively “cool” climate conditions, the grapes have the advantage of a long slow, flavour-intensifying ripening period. The average daily temperatures during summer is nearly 24 degrees Celsius but clear cool nights keep acid levels high in the grapes.
Marked diurnal (day/night) temperature variations are a key factor behind the ability of Marlborough grapes to retain both fresh, vibrant fruit and crisp, herbaceous characters. The temperature contrast also helps to enhance the flavour development in the skins of Pinot Noir.
Within Marlborough viticulture has been developed primarily on sites with moderate low fertility and a noticeably stony, sandy loam top soil overlaying deep layers of free-draining shingle, as found in the viticulturally developed areas of the Wairau Valley.
These shallow, fast draining, low fertility soils help to produce a lush, aromatic ripe wine that results in vines with less vigour.
The region currently has over 27,000 hectares of land planted vineyard, primarily located within the Wairau Valley.
Marlborough is now New Zealand’s largest wine region – producing some 79% of the countries wine.
When combining the climate we enjoy with our soil profile this is what makes Marlborough unique and providing its distinctive flavours.
Homestead
Our Homestead vineyard is named after the original site settled in 1855 by Adam Jackson, now named Jacksons Road where the original Homestead still resides. This is Jackson Estates oldest vineyard and is planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir. This land has been sustainably farmed by the Jackson family for five generations.
Fruit from this vineyard delivers intense notes of stone fruit, white melon and tropical characters. The combination of mature vines with the stony free draining silt loam soils have been the foundations for the elegant textural wine style that Jackson Estate is best known for.
Eversley
This well established vineyard is located in Marlborough’s Southern Valley sub region, the Waihopai Valley. It is planted with Sauvignon Blanc and a number of Burgundian Pinot Noir clones chosen for their suitability to the site and ability to produce fruit of incredible intensity and complexity.
Little to no irrigation is used on these heavy, tightly bound clay soils.
Eversley consistently provides fruit that shows great depth of flavour with outstanding structure, balance and concentration.
Somerset
The vineyard is planted both with Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, and is located in Marlborough’s Southern Valley sub region, the Waihopai Valley. Extremes in climate variance between day and night along with heavy clay soils produce pure and concentrated fruit flavours with outstanding structure and balance.
Fruit grown on the Somerset vineyard has elegantly lifted aromatics and a depth of minerality contributing to the structure and texture of our wines.
The use of the Eversley and Somerset vineyards help produce a style of Sauvignon Blanc that is unique and has a good point of difference.
Our new winery contains 52 tanks, enabling us to develop even more high quality Pinot Noir.
Situated on Jackson’s Road in Marlborough, our winery gives us greater control of our premium small-batch wines, says head winemaker, Matt Patterson-Green.
“It gives us hands-on control of our wines and is almost entirely devoted to Pinot Noir, which has been our biggest focus for the past 10 years,” he says.
In a bid to represent the colour of Pinot Noir, the modern building is pale ruby-coloured and features a cellar door modelled on the original 1850s homestead.
Patterson-Green says the winery is a nod to Jackson Estate’s pioneering ethos, combining “advanced winemaking techniques with an old world, hands-on approach to produce great wines that showed longevity, elegance and finesse”.
“Our new Pinot Noir winery is a stunning piece of architecture, and, by combining the old and the new, it is a great testament to Jackson Estate’s core philosophy.
