Flaxmore Vineyards
Flaxmore Vineyards is located in the Moutere hills area of Nelson at the north-west of New Zealand’s South Island. The particular site of our vineyard comprises gentle north-facing, clay-bound gravel slopes of a small valley that was first established with apple orchards 100 years ago (with a history of land-care dating back to the 1880’s). In time, those orchards supplied apples for the British market, more recently being a premium supplier to Marks & Spencer and Waitrose. The land that is now Flaxmore Vineyards previously won regular awards for “Best Braeburn Apple in NZ†reflecting the sheer depth of flavour that sites such as this are capable of.
These gentle slopes hold much promise, primarily for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay along with Pinot Gris. A history of the Moutere area describes Flaxmore Valley (in the late 1800’s) as being a “small oasis in a challenging environmentâ€.
The Nelson area has developed substantially since that time but we were reminded of the site’s special feel when we took Dr. David Jordan, our Viticulturalist, there for the first time in 2007. Standing on a spur he remarked on what a great find it was; and his surprise that it wasn’t already planted in vines; we’ve subsequently learnt of earlier attempts by well known winemakers to secure this Flaxmore site, so we feel fortunate to have the opportunity.