Capturing and celebrating the wonder of nature is the inspiration behind a new limited early-release wine range from Stoneleigh. Stoneleigh Nature’s Collection is a range of four wines comprising Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rosé, all from the 2014 vintage.
Starting with small parcels of fruit from selected blocks on our stony vineyards in the Rapaura sub-region, Stoneleigh winemaker Jamie Marfell has created a range of wines that exhibit the natural brilliance and purity of Marlborough.
“Nature gives us our incredible fruit that is bursting with flavour and vibrancy. In creating Stoneleigh Nature’s Collection, we’ve explored different winemaking techniques that enhance these flavours, creating unique wines unlike anything we’ve crafted before,” says Jamie.
The celebration of nature is continued through the labels, each of which is a collage of images grouped to themes that reflect New Zealand’s unique natural wonders – flora, fauna, forest and coastline. Earlier this year, Stoneleigh asked people across New Zealand to capture and share their own wonder of nature through a digital app. Drawing on more than 2,800 images, the Nature’s Collection range celebrates the beauty and wonder of New Zealand. The concept takes shared content to a new level, returning images captured by consumers back to consumers by way of the distinctive new labels.
“Stoneleigh Nature’s Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2014 is crafted from selected premium quality grapes from low-cropping vines on our stone-studded Rapaura vineyards. This fruit has a crispness combined with naturally complex flintiness.
We’ve done very little to the wine, allowing this outstanding flavour and aroma to shine through,” says Jamie.
“For the Stoneleigh Nature’s Collection Pinot Noir 2014, we’ve use a range of techniques that allows the wine to be released while still young, capturing the natural brilliance and purity of the Pinot Noir grapes. This is the first of the 2014 Pinot Noir that we have released and we are impressed with the flavours that it shows.”
Large format oak cuves have been used to ferment the Stoneleigh Nature’s Collection Chardonnay 2014 for just three months. This has given the wine texture and weight while retaining the natural vibrancy of the fruit.
The Stoneleigh Nature’s Collection Rosé 2014 has been crafted using winemaking techniques usually reserved for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, including fermenting the wine with oak. “This gives the wine body that we think will appeal to Chardonnay drinkers,” says Jamie.
“Our stone-studded vineyards are a constant source of wonder, producing grapes for wines with incredible flavours and aromas. We wanted to celebrate not just our wonder of nature but all of the natural wonders in New Zealand,” says Jamie.
The limited release Stoneleigh Nature’s Collection will be available from mid-October 2014 from leading New Zealand retailers (RRP $17.99).
