WARD FARM

As mentioned under the Francis vineyard, this vineyard is owned and run by the Francis family. It is planted just north of the township of Ward on land that has been in the Francis family since 1905.

Being at the southern end of the Marlborough appellation, and also so close to the sea, this vineyard benefits from the cooler southerly winds that come up the coast. These cooler conditions again assist with flavour retention and also mean that the vines must be cropped low to ensure that they get fully ripe.

The first fruit we took from Ward was the Sauvignon Blanc, from a north-facing hillside parcel, which we made into a single-vineyard wine. The characters are very intense but the wines also have palate weight and structure, which we believe the soil structure helps with.

Over time we have taken more parcels from this vineyard and started with the Pinot Gris in 2007. From 2009 we will have a small amount of Pinot Noir, which we are very excited about.

This vineyard is in the conversion process to Bio-Gro organic standard and the management of the block by Polly and her parents will ensure that the fruit and soils increase in life and complexity over time.