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Our Coastal Awatere Valley
Marlborough Estate

Windier

The maritime influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean keeps our vines fresher with lower disease pressure.

Sunnier

Longer sunshine hours ensure optimum levels of ripeness, higher sugar levels and therefore intensity of fruit purity.

Wilder

These wild conditions ensure our vine roots grow deeper into the steep terraces, seeking water & nutrients to produce smaller, more concentrated berries – creating wines with minerality and elegant intensity.

Cooler

With the Pacific Ocean just a few miles away, our Estate enjoys a cool climate and a long growing season which results in more intense flavors in our fruit.

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OUR NEWS

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Food & Wine Magazine USA – June 2023

2022 OTU Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand

Estate grown and influenced by proximity to the sea, this is an intense, concentrated wine with citrus, passionfruit, and gooseberries, as well as a bump of Granny Smiths…

Wine orbit

National Wine Awards Aotearoa - TROPHY

2023 OTU Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand

It’s brilliantly expressed on the nose showing kiwifruit, green rockmelon, apricot and lime peel aromas, leading to a concentrated palate offering terrific fruit vibrancy…

90 Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator

2021 OTU Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand

Rating: 90, Shows green, clipped herbal notes, with lemongrass, lemon verbena and listea oil to complement the lemon-lime and ruby grapefruit core on a sleek, juicy frame. Drink now.

90 Wine Spectator

Wine Enthusiast – Best Buy

2022 OTU Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand

Rating: 89, Green grass and floral notes lead on this aromatic wine from Marlborough’s sea-swept Awatere subregion. There’s a fresh, slippery mouthfeel and tangy fruit on the palate…

90 Wine Spectator

James Suckling, Jan 2024

2023 OTU Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand

Rating: 91, Rating: 91, – Lots of bitter lemon, grass and limes with some capers and fennel. Medium-bodied, dry and crisp.

wild coast intensity in its rawest form

 

Where the ancient Otuwhero river meets the ocean, a vineyard estate sits close to the Pacific ocean on the tip of the South Island of Marlborough, New Zealand. Where wild beauty meets intense flavours, OTU Estate wines leave a lasting impression of fruit expression. This carefully chosen location of north-facing steep coastal slopes for optimal wine production, gifts the name – OTU wines.

Immerse yourself in the unparalleled tastes of OTU Wines delivered to your door in the US.

As the coolest and driest of Marlborough’s three sub-regions, the drier, windier, cooler and more rugged terrain produces distinctive, intensely vibrant wines for a truly unforgettable experience. Taste the intensity of crisp and zesty sea-swept wine for yourself.

The wild coast this far south ensures an extensive growing season with higher hours of sunshine and extended ripening. Picking at the perfect moments of time promises peak ripeness, and perfectly balanced distinct flavor and acidity. With a primal focus of honouring our beautiful whenua – New Zealand land – the authentic windy, rough nature de-vigours the vines, fruitfully crafting low yields of small, intensely flavoured berries. These parcels of sweetness display the notorious vibrant wine palates OTU wines have become known for.

OTU’s story was established in the new millennium, 2000, signalling a fresh, new and zesty revolutionary take on New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Within the estate, five vineyard blocks were born along the Pacific Ocean’s wild coast. Every element of the block locations and positioning were purposefully selected to embrace the warmer sea breezes, maximum sun exposure and wild, wild winds. Contrastingly, the two additional blocks, Dysart Blocks and Otuwhero Hammond, are set inland cloaked by snowy peaks to reap the benefits of the rich soil.

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Intensely Memorable Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and more

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OTU Estate’s unique terroir makes it New Zealand’s unrivalled intensely vibrant wine it is today, with four signature Marlborough, New Zealand wines – Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough Pinot Noir, Marlborough Pinot Gris and an additional special Limited Release Sauvignon Blanc.

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