Our Vineyard Sites

Mount Riley owns seven vineyards. Each of Mount Riley’s vineyard sites was carefully chosen for its unique attributes and ability to produce grapes of outstanding quality. This site diversity allows us to blend across the different vineyards to create wines with the true flavours of Marlborough.

Our vineyards have been planted and developed progressively since the 1980’s with vines grafted by the Mount Riley nursery team. Continuous experiments with new rootstocks and clones match the ideal clone with each vineyard mesoclimate.

Renwick Vineyard 50 acres - Est 1996 (photographed right): Planted in Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay this vineyard is a mixture of free draining river stones and sandy loam, lying on two north-facing terraces. It is low yielding and consistently produces Sauvignon Blanc amongst our best parcels.

The Oaks Vineyard 10 acres - Est 2005: This newly planted vineyard contains extremely high quality Sauvignon Blanc. 

Riverlands Vineyard 42 acres - Est 2001: The Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc vines in this vineyard surround our winery and cellar door.  The vineyard has generous grass areas and provides facilities for visitors to enjoy and picnic after a visit to our cellar door.

Seventeen Valley Vineyard 34 acres – Est 1996 (photographed left): Seventeen Valley forms the backbone of our premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  It has warmer conditions than the Wairau Valley, moderated by cool sea breezes from nearby Cloudy Bay.  Seventeen Valley's soils are based on silt and loam and are extremely stony and of low fertility, perfect for the production of premium wine grapes. 

Old Road Vineyard 18 acres - Est 1980: This vineyard has an outstanding record of producing premium quality grapes. It is planted in Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.

Litchfield Vineyard 106 acres - Est 1984: Right in the heart of the Wairau Valley this vineyard consistently produces a high standard of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Merlot grapes. The soils are free draining loam and grapes ripen evenly across the vineyard.

Waihopai Vineyard 23 acres - Est 2002 (photographed right): John Buchanan has an interest in a Waihopai vineyard.  Fruit from this site has a distinctive flavour profile. Planted in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir vines, this vineyard is extremely stony and perfectly suited to the production of premium quality fruit.

Growers: We have a close relationship with a small selection of Marlborough’s best growers and where possible prefer to manage and tend growers’ vines to ensure complete control of fruit quality.