Julicher Estate

Like the river that engraves the land, JULICHER, meaning ‘to seek the ideal’, has carved its own path to become a globally recognised, champion New Zealand wine producer of Pinot Noir.

Julicher Estate was born in 1996, when Wim Julicher fell in love with the secret valley of Martinborough, Te Muna.

Carved thousands of years ago, by the Huangarua river of Martinborough, Te Muna valley is notable for its deep, mineral-rich, alluvial gravels. These soils aligned with the warm days, cool nights and low rainfall of the region, result in the outstanding Pinot Noir wines that Martinborough is valued for.

Planting vines and an olive grove on 50 acres of bare farmland, Wim sought to realise a dream. Meaning “to seek the ideal” and having created a truly idyllic spot, it was fitting that the name the Estate itself, would be Julicher.

Since establishment 20 years ago,  Julicher Estate wines have consistently won gold medals and trophies around the globe. Maintaining a hands-on approach, Julicher Estate is rated as one of the top 50 wine producers of New Zealand and has established strong distribution and export markets throughout Asia and Europe.

Like most new world wine producers, Wim Julicher’s background is that of a completely different industry. Having emigrated from Holland to New Zealand in 1972, Wim spent 25 years in the building industry. A profession that taught him the value of hard work, resilience and with more than a dash of Dutch Courage, to see a project through. Although he loves to be in the vineyard, Wim spends most of his time creating, developing and growing Julicher Estate’s very busy export markets. As Wim’s partner in business and life, Sue comes from a Staff Training and administrative background where she developed an extra-specialist expertise in making sense of the nitty gritty. Always at Wim’s side, and with Ninja finesse, Sue ensures Julicher Estate runs as a strong and successful enterprise.

Julicher Estate is located in the south-east corner of the North Island region of Wairarapa.

Situated in the Te Muna valley, five kilometres from the Martinborough Township, the vineyard is part of a region that is internationally accredited for producing New Zealand’s most outstanding Pinot Noir.

Approximately one hour’s drive from the capital city of Wellington, the area is known for low rainfall, warm days and cool nights. Conditions perfectly balance to produce New Zealand Pinot Noir wines of exceptional elegance, structure and savoury complexity.

Te Muna Valley – ‘Te Muna’ means ‘secret place’. First planted in 1996, and an extension of Martinborough’s river terraces, the Te Muna terraces were carved by the path of the Huangarua River. When the river retreated to its present course a few thousand years ago, the free draining, alluvial deposits left behind were discovered as exceptionally suited to viticulture.

Terroir – Stony and rich in minerals, at a slightly higher altitude than Martinborough itself, Te Muna valley enjoys a slightly cooler season. With the lowest rainfall of New Zealand’s North Island, this cool but dry micro-climate provides ideal ripening conditions. As such, this micro-region of Martinborough is producing outstanding New Zealand  Pinot Noir and other noble varietals.

Sustainability – Julicher Estate is an accredited Sustainable Winegrowing vineyard, verifying our commitment to environmentally responsible wine production.

Forever seeking the ideal, we use organic practices wherever we can. Working with naturally derived resources. organic based fertilisers made from fish, seaweed or compost, rather than synthetic chemicals are used. Pest and disease sprays are drawn from natural ingredients. After pruning, canes are mulched and left to compost, providing valuable nutrients to the soil.

As our place for our time on earth, we take seriously our commitment to preserve that ideal for those future generations who may equally seek it.

Experiencing rapid growth, 2004 saw Julicher Estate extending its operations to include a winery, barrel room and laboratory. With enough capacity for increased volumes and contract winemaking, new processing equipment was imported and installed. Today, after 20 years since first planting the land, our viticulturist Derek, winemaker Jannine and their team are kept very busy indeed!

The Wine Philosophy
Wine is to be enjoyed. As we like to enjoy wine ourselves, we strive to produce structured wines that both show off their fruit-driven charms early, but can be cellared for increased savoury complexity. Our philosophy is to make wine for people that likewise, seek the ideal in life.

Our achievements in multiple wine awards around the world have proven us successful.