Spy Valley
Situated on the sunny southern side of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley, nestled on the terraces of the Omaka River are the vineyards of Johnson Estate. Eight Varieties of grapes, over 360 acres producing premium quality fruit for Spy Valley Wines. Our fertile, free draining stony soils result from successive flood events and glacial outwash deposits over the previous 10,000 years. Marlborough enjoys more sunshine hours than any other region of New Zealand coupled with a young rich land we have perfect grape growing conditions. This allows Marlborough to produce some of the best wines in the world. At Spy Valley, emphasis on viticultural excellence creates wines that capture the essence of the environment and are classically Marlborough.
Spy Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010 – Sauvignon Blanc is grown in our Marlborough vineyard on stony riverbed terraces, gently pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks to give intense passionfruit and gooseberry fruit characters. The wine is fruit-driven in style, with complexity from lees ageing for several months in stainless steel tanks before bottling. This wine is a classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with intense flavours and crisp acidity. Generous and supple with abundant tropical fruits. Initial fruit sweetness is balanced by fine acidity to leave a mouth-watering finish. Bouquet: Classic Marlborough aromas of grapefruit, elderflower and ripe stonefruit. Palate: Juicy and lithe, the palate is alive with refreshing ripe fruits and has a rich, lingering finish. 89 points Wine Spectator.
Spy Valley Marlborough Riesling 2009 – Riesling grapes are carefully selected from the best vines in our Marlborough vineyard, gently pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks to give intense floral and citrus characters. The wine is fruit-driven in style, elegant and delicate. The bouquet is typically intense fresh lime, green apple and floral aromas. The palate is vibrant and elegant with racy acid in a medium-dry style. 91 points Wine Enthusiast.
Spy Valley Marlborough Pinot Gris 2010 – Pinot Gris produces low yields of concentrated grapes on a stony riverbed terrace in our Marlborough vineyard. Grapes are gently pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks to give intense floral and fresh pear flavours. This wine is produced from very ripe grapes, with intense aromas and a rich, minerally, persistent palate. Bouquet: Ripe citrus skin, pear and nutmeg aromas with a gentle waft of bran and rolled oats. Palate: A finely balanced combination of fruit sweetness and a long, rich finish. Peachy fruit and a dash of manuka honey.
Spy Valley Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2008 – After picking and pressing the individual parcels were tank fermented at warm temperatures. At the end of fermentation the wines were racked off the yeast lees and aged for four months prior to blending and bottling. Bouquet: Lifted aromatics in the rose petal/Turkish delight spectrum. The usual spice element is in the form of coriander/cinnamon this year. Palate: The fragrant components flow through to give way to pure tastes on the palate. The finish is rich and well rounded with fruit sweetness.
Spy Valley Envoy Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2006 – The fruit for Envoy is taken from a unique corner of one of our original Chardonnay blocks, ‘B Block.’ ‘B Block’ is home to five Burgundian clones of Chardonnay. The soil structure gives the best of both worlds – structure and fatness from the more complex top soil, and fruit definition from the free draining nature of the underlying gravel. Clone B95 Chardonnay was hand-picked, whole bunch pressed and barrel fermented with wild yeasts. Aged for 18 months in oak on full lees. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Issue 176 – 90 Points.
Spy Valley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010 – Pinot Noir is hand-harvested from vines in our Marlborough vineyard, gently separated from the stems and fermented in small, traditional open-top vats. These vats are hand-plunged to extract colour and tannin, and after pressing the wine is aged for 8 months in French oak barrels. Fruit-driven in style with soft tannins and spicy oak. Bouquet: Red fruits, plum and sweet cherry are underpinned with fragrant notes of spice and dried sage. Palate: Fruit forward with a long supple structure, licorice and cocoa notes are typical of our vineyard site.
Spy Valley Envoy Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006 – The fruit for Envoy Pinot Noir comes from our oldest vines, in the area we call ‘F Block.’ Clay top soil, free draining gravel substrate, cool spring, warm dry summers and extended ripening combine with root stock, clonal selection and vine age to produce small bunches with concentrated flavours.
Spy Valley Marlborough Merlot 2006 – Our Merlot and Malbec blocks were hand harvested, gently crushed and soaked for five days prior to a ‘wild’ fermentation. After ferment the tank was left to macerate on skins for a further three weeks. Post pressing the young wine spent 14 months in barrel and was bottled with minimal filtration. Bouquet: Mainly dark berry fruits and cassis. Palate: A lively mixture of black currants, chocolate and spice. The palate has loads of sweet fruit and chunky tannins. 86% Merlot, 14% Malbec
