Framingham was launched in 1994 with just one Riesling and has since expanded to include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. They produce wines from their 19.5-hectare estate vineyard, certified organic in 2014, alongside other carefully selected sites. Their Riesling vines, planted in 1981, are among the oldest in Marlborough.

Andrew Brown joined Framingham as their head winemaker in January 2020, succeeding Dr Andrew Hedley who’d made the wines for 18 years. A highly regarded winemaker, Brown was previously Framingham’s assistant winemaker for seven years and also worked as a consultant in famed wine regions such as Oregon, Central Otago and Alsace.

The ‘Classic’ Riesling is sourced from hand-selected parcels, vinified separately, with a small component aged in neutral oak barrels. Made in a traditional, Germanic ‘Beerenauslese’ style, and only in vintages with favourable conditions, the Noble Riesling blends late-harvest parcels and botrytised bunches.

Framingham’s interpretation of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc puts an exciting spin on this classic style. They ferment a small percentage of the grapes on skins and another in oak and acacia barrels. Once fermentation is complete, these components are blended and the final wine is aged for six months on its lees to achieve extra layers of flavour and texture. The hand-picked Pinot Gris, inspired by the wines of Alsace, is harvested later than other varieties and spends seven months on its lees, which gives a wine that offers generous baked apple, quince and cream flavours. The Pinot Noir is blended from several base wines made from four Wairau Valley sites, including the estate vineyard. It is an elegant style with summer fruit compote and smoky oak flavours. As wine writer Jamie Goode says, “Framingham’s regular range offers some of New Zealand’s best value for money.”

Fruit for Framingham’s Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from eight different sites located across the Conders Bend, Lower Wairau, Blenheim and Rapaura sub-regions. The various soil types, including stony, old riverbed, clay and silty loam, all contribute different elements to the blend.

Each parcel of fruit was vinified separately. The juices were predominately fermented in stainless-steel tanks using several different treatments, however 8% was fermented in oak and acacia puncheons. A very small component (2%) underwent fermentation on the skins. Following fermentation, all portions were aged on their fine lees for six months before being blended and bottled.

This Marlborough Sauvignon has expressive aromatics, showing flint, Meyer lemon, and subtle shortbread notes. The palate is well-rounded with volume and mouthfeel, with flavours of passion and stone fruit, sweet herbal hints and a fine-boned acid finish.