Brancott Estate

From humble beginnings in 1934, we sold our first wines in 1944 and have since grown to become one of our country’s leading range of wines – in no small part due to the success of our, now world famous, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Montana Wines (as we were then known) founder, Frank Yukich uttered the seemingly prophetic words “wines from here will become world famous”, at the planting of the first commercial grapes in Marlborough six years earlier – today these are firmly embedded in our country’s wine industry folklore.

"In the early 1970's the conventional wisdom in the New Zealand wine industry was that wine grapes would not ripen in the South Island. Montana Wines disregarded that ‘wisdom’ and planted vines in Marlborough on a grand scale. Included in the first plantings was the, at the time, little-known variety of Sauvignon Blanc." - Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers.

In 1975, when we took the brave steps of planting the first Sauvignon Blanc vines at our Brancott Vineyard in Marlborough, little did we know the company would grow to become New Zealand's largest producer and exporter of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wine. According to Philip Gregan, this decision proved to be one of the most "momentous ever taken" in the New Zealand wine industry.

The release of the first vintage of our Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in 1979 was the beginning of a phenomenon which, has not only placed New Zealand firmly on the international map, but has also since become the basis for the New Zealand wine industry’s world-wide reputation.

Within 10 years of its first vintage, our Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc had won the prestigious ‘Marquis de Goulaine trophy for best Sauvignon Blanc’ at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London.

On March 6 2009 we raised a toast to the 30th vintage of our internationally-acclaimed Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. At the celebrations held at our iconic Brancott Vineyard, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key joined Frank Yukich to unveil a special monument that immortalises our company founder and the pioneering steps we took in the 1970s.

Our remarkable history is a constant source of inspiration for all of us behind Brancott Estate wines.

In 1975, Brancott Vineyard was the site of our first Sauvignon Blanc plantings in Marlborough – a decision that went against the popular opinion of the time that suggested the South Island was too cold to grow wine grapes. By indulging our curiosity and backing our belief in this land, we soon proved this opinion wasn’t founded, with our very first vintage of the varietal winning an award.

The release of the first Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc vintage in 1979 was the beginning of a phenomenon which, not only placed New Zealand firmly on the international wine map, but has since become a shining example of the quality of wine that can be produced from this land.

Today, Brancott Vineyard continues to be a source of inspiration for our winemakers, not only proving that anything is possible with a curious nature, but that our belief in this land and our knowledge of how to obtain the best from it can result in award-winning wines enjoyed the world over.

Sauvignon Blanc is grown almost everywhere in New Zealand, but it’s in Marlborough that this variety finds its finest expression of anywhere in the world. Winemaking influences are kept to a minimum. Slow, cool fermentation in stainless steel retains the crisp fruit flavours. Cellaring is normally avoided to retain the youthful freshness of the wine. Tastes like cut grass, gooseberry, capsicum/bell pepper, with riper styles displaying melon, nectarine or passionfruit. Enjoy with tangy food – avocado, oysters, trout, salmon, mussels, crayfish or salads.

Located on the north-eastern tip of the South Island, the sunny, vineyard-covered region of Marlborough is our home. Since the time of Frank’s famous quote above, Marlborough has become the most highly-regarded grape growing region in New Zealand – in no small part due to the unique flavours and success of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Our Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was awarded in its first vintage - and today, continues to be awarded around the world. Indulging our curiosity, we were first to plant Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough and first to introduce the world to flavours not experienced before. This wine has since become our country’s most successful global wine style and has changed the course of New Zealand’s wine industry forever.

In most years, Marlborough is the sunniest part of New Zealand, with the proximity of snow-capped peaks and a relatively large landmass causing sharp drops in temperature at night. This high diurnal temperature variation locks in unusually high levels of acidity in some grape varieties, most notably Sauvignon Blanc - and without compromising flavour development, is a key ingredient in the success of Marlborough wines.

Apart from our signature Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough also excels in the production of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Riesling in particular.