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The original cellars & vineyards of David Hern, Marlborough's & Auntsfield's founding winemaker, are the same estate that the modern Auntsfield is on today. The current varietals plantedhave a shared ancestry with the original vineyards, and the Cowley family makes it a priority to act as guardians of this history
It was pure luck that the Cowley family bought Marlborough's first vineyard. They only realised after they researched the history of the land. Ben & Luc were passionate about creating exceptional wines here, with Ben focusing on the land and Luc on the wine.
Ben Cowley follows a plot based approach to vineyard management, planting the estate by focuing on individual parcels of fruit that display unique expressions of the physical characteristics
In the cellar, Luc Cowley
Surrounded by mountains, Marlborough is one of the driest and sunniest areas in New Zealand. It is wine country like no other. The cool climate conditions provide a long, slow ripening period; intensifying flavors that form the signature, bold and fragrant wines of the region.
The Southern Valleys is a sub region within Marlborough where the climate is cooler and drier. With its mix of high mineral Greywacke rock and old low fertility Loess clay soils, the Southern Valleys is regarded for its riper styles of wine with more structure, texture and minerality. The Auntsfield vineyard covers 65 hectares and is planted in Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Unlike many Marlborough vineyards, Pinot Noir is Auntsfield’s most planted variety, and is particularly suited to the old clay hillsides of Auntsfield.
The Cowley family takes a block approach to vineyard management, separating the land into over 50 blacks planted with carefully selected clones of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
