Churton is a biodynamically farmed, certified organic vineyard situated in the southern hills of the Marlborough region on the South Island of New Zealand. It produces hand-harvested Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir as well as small quantities of Viognier and Petit Manseng. Churton describes its core philosophy as New World wine tempered with Old World style.

Owners: Sam and Mandy Weaver. Sam Weaver’s identical twin brother called Simon lives in Touraine (Indre-et-Loire department) and is a sheep (Limousine, for meat), beef, and cereals farmer (“he used to have 600 ewes but he’s getting too old for them,” said Sam by email in July 2015).

Sam Weaver: Sam grew up in various places in the UK – Shropshire (where his family home was, at Church Pulverbatch or “Churton”, Shropshire, where his grandfather, an officer in the Indian army, had installed the family in 1939) , north Wales and then Newbury. In 1989 or 1990 Sam left London for New Zealand. In 1990 Sam worked for Jane Hunter as assistant winemaker. From 1994 Sam became a freelance winemaker and consultant. From 1994-1997 Sam consulted to Isabel Estate Vineyards (Marlborough), and many others since then (eg Lawson’s Dry Hills, State Landt, Waimea Estate, Ara, Indevin etc). He also worked in Moldova. By 1999 Sam had become Chief Winemaker at Stoneleigh (a Corbans brand and winery in Marlborough, at that time the second biggest in the country, now Pernod Ricard’s Brancott Estate). In 1997 Sam had launched his own label–Churton. He worked initially with growers. In 2000 the estate vineyard was established. In 2003 the first wines were released.

Vineyards: Churton Vineyard comprises 23 hectares and is located in Marlborough, above the Waihopai Valley and between it and the Omaka Valley. Sam says “this would ordinarily be called the Southern Valleys but I think in our case it is more appropriate to call where were we are the southern hills [170-220 metres]. We are on geologically older, denser clay-loess soils than the floor of the Wairau Valley. Our clay-loess soils have higher water retention: therefore less irrigation is required. Also, due to the soil mechanics, this changes the way vines take up water, which in turn changes shoot growth, producing smaller canopies with lower water requirements, and less vine vigour. Our soils allow us to avoid the flushes of warm water that continual shallow irrigation gives vines and which stimulates lots of growth.”

The vines were planted from 1999 and planting finished in 2009. The main grapes are Pinot Noir (9-ha), Sauvignon Blanc (11-ha), Viognier (1-ha), Petit Manseng (0.5-ha). All vines are grafted onto rootstock. Vine density is 4,630 vines/ha spaced 1.8 x 1.2. Vines are double guyot pruned. The fruiting wires are at 60-70cm.

Organic certification: The vineyard has been organic since the beginning in 1997.

White wines

Petit Manseng: 2013 10.5% + 82g/l. 1,200 x 500 ml. Fermented in an old barrel (old hogsheads). ‘We picked with surmaturité meaning the grapes have high natural sugar with no noble rot. The focus is to make a clean wine with tension and brightness. The wine has a quince character, then something you can’t quite put your finger on, a core you can’t quite grasp, and Petit Manseng in Jurançon has always had that,’says Sam Weaver (Wednesday 15th July 2015). Sam does not agree with Mandy’s suggestion of an “old apple core” character.

Sauvignon Blanc, Churton: 1997 Debut. Sourced from growers. | 2009 Cold wet winter. Early spring. Late but successful flowering mid-December. A wetter than normal summer provoked the threat of big berries and compact bunches so leaf plucking and bunch thinning were practised. Later than usual harvest from 01st April 2009. 40% hand (the bit which sees barrel). 60% machine. 10% BF in 500 litre puncheons of which 10% new oak. No MLF. Dry. Bottled 9-10 months post-vintage. 13.5% alcohol. 6,000 cases. All estate fruit. Intense citrus flavours (lemon, lime and orange blossom) with depth at the back, does not tail off, waxiness, savouriness, minerality via low pH to help draw focus towards the back palate at Churton estate on Wednesday 06th April 2011. | 2014 100% hand picked. Pressed. Settled for 12 hours. Fermented in steel (85%) and 500-litre puncheons new and old. Aged on lees. Not aggressively sulfured. Racked and blended in February. Bottled in March following the vintage. Lovely savoury notes (Visit Wednesday evening 15th July 2015).

Sauvignon Blanc Best End: From the Best End plot. 1.2 hectares. On the westerly edge of the estate (by the irrigation reservoir) meaning it gets the most wind so grapes get slightly thicker skins and the berries are slightly smaller than usual: “resilient little things”, says Sam. The clones are mostly 317 and 316. These clones are less vigorous [than UCD1] and are especially liked by Château Haut-Brion and Domaine de Chevalier. They show excellent balance and produce slightly lower acidity but at the same time lower pH. The berries are small and–in our conditions–produce thick skins. On 3309C rootstock. Yield of 4 tons/ha.  2013 Debut. 300 cases. 100% fermented in puncheons (2 new, 3 old). Aged on lees for 12m and 6m in steel. No MLF. Ripe, clear nose, lemon blossom, flowering broom too (honey, aniseed). At bottling the Best End has a pH of about 3.0 [compared to commercial Sauvignon Blanc which would be around 3.35]. Lots of palate weight but not at all heavy. Integrated wood, savoury but also has a strong mayflower element. Also greengage. Wild fennel. Aniseed. Lovely end: twisty, creamy, savoury, integrated alcohol with woody green herbs (Visit Wednesday evening 15th July 2015).

Viognier, Marlborough: ‘We get few lateral shoots in Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier,’ Sam told me (Visit 2015). | 2010 100 cases. NZ$32 roughly (2011). Debut. His first Viognier. First crop fruit. Skins are quite thick, so an element of phenolics in this (sotto voce); has 10 g/l residual. Picked late (hand) and stopped so the wine made its mind up. No shrivel, berries might just have started to go baggy but no botrytis. WBP. Cloudy juice the norm for Sam. Fermented in a new 600 litre demi-muid which had had one SB ferment in; and two 228-litre Burgundy barrels. Aged in barrel 11 months prior to bottling. Racked once and sulfured. No MLF. Do get acid with young vines on this variety. Bottled two weeks ago. Fragrant, floral nectarine and peach, quite viscous at Churton estate on Wednesday 06th April 2011. Has savouriness from the oak, real intensity of fruit, quite moreish. For Viognier has quite high acidity. | 2014 pH is higher compared to SB at picking- about 3.2 to 3.25 so still pretty low. Same demi-muid as saw the debut 2010. “Apricots and white flowers = like lilac, orange blossom, and wintersweet. Winter daffodil,” says Sam. Not at all overblown. Rich but not fat. Savouriness, subtleness, delicate, absence of phenolics. “Winemakers use phenolics to balance out wines with low acid, high alc and high pH. This does not have this problem,” Sam told me at the estate (Visit Wednesday evening 15th July 2015).