The first block of the Riverby Estate vineyard was planted with Mendoza clone Chardonnay in 1989, making these some of New Zealand’s older chardonnay plantings. The first Sauvignon Blanc block, known as Picnic Paddock, was planted the following year with UCD 1 clone trained to the Scott-Henry trellis system. Together with vine trimming and leaf plucking during the growing season, an open grapevine canopy is created with ample sunlight and wind penetration. This ensures that the fruit has the desirable Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc varietal characteristics, without too much herbaceousness.

There have been regular plantings over the years, including several more blocks of sauvignon Blanc, and also Riesling, Semillon, Syrah, Pinot Noir and most recently Pinot Gris. Pinot Noir clones include 115, 667 and 777.

Yields are intentionally kept low, thus ensuring fruit with intense varietal flavours. Many varieties are handpicked and most machine harvesting is done at night to help retain precise fruit flavours.

Riverby Estate is an accredited member of the sustainable winegrowing scheme (SWNZ), meaning all our vineyard practices have to comply with a strict set of standards. The aim of the scheme is to provide a framework so companies can work towards improving all aspects of their performance in terms of environmental, social and economic sustainability in the vineyard.