Celebrated New Zealand winemaker, Giesen Group, is bringing an unmatched taste of Marlborough to New Zealand wine enthusiasts with its adventurous new Uncharted range, which pays tribute to the beautiful region Giesen has been growing and making wine in for over three decades.
Featuring a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, sophisticated Chardonnay, and elegant Pinot Noir, the Uncharted range celebrates its homeland; a place between the snow and the sea, where mountain ranges give way to rivers, and sunshine reigns supreme. Each wine reflects the unique sub-region where it is grown within the Marlborough region, taking on the individual characters and flavours typical to that area.
The Uncharted Sauvignon Blanc fruit comes from two blocks in the Awatere Valley, a slightly cooler, drier and windier location with higher elevation. Each block displayed exceptional Awatere characters, with one more tropical with green pineapple flavours, and the other quite herbal – with the marriage between the two locations resulting in a wonderfully aromatic, delicate Sauvignon Blanc with satisfying mouthfeel, notes of fresh herbs, green pineapple and kaffir lime, and subtle salt air characters.
Marlborough’s Southern Valleys are renowned for growing Pinot Noir with great colour, excellent texture, and ripeness, with the Uncharted Pinot Noir no exception. Warm fermentation and minimal handling retain colour and allow the fruit to showcase distinct Marlborough Pinot Noir character. The resulting wine offers aromas of dark cherry and bramble, with sweet spice and subtle toasty notes. On the palate, enjoy flavours of cherry compote, mocha, and clove, with earthy smoky notes from careful barrel ageing in French oak hogsheads.
The Chardonnay of the Uncharted range uses only selected parcels of hand-picked fruit from the Wairau and Southern Valleys, which is picked early to ensure the natural tartness Marlborough is known for. The wine is an excellent showcase of a cool-climate Marlborough Chardonnay, offering complex aromas of white peach, lemon, toasted hazelnut, and flint on the nose, along with ripe lemon and peach flavours, and grapefruit on the finish.
The Giesen Uncharted range is available now, RRP $19.99-$29.99 from www.giesen.co.nz/uncharted and leading liquor retailers. You can follow Giesen on Facebook and Instagram.
