Situated at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, with Cook Strait to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the east, Marlborough experiences a cool, maritime-influenced climate that provides a cooling influence which, coupled with some of the highest sunshine hours in the country, creates the perfect environment for grape growing. Our vineyard estates have been deliberately placed in premium sites across the Wairau, Waihopai, and Awatere Valleys of Marlborough, providing access to a range of climates and soil types that deliver the unique diversity and depth of flavour we seek to create in our wines.
The grapes for our wines are sourced primarily from our eight family-owned vineyard estates situated across the Marlborough region. This gives us the ability to manage each individual vineyard block according to the terroir and variety, which can then be fermented separately, with blends allocated to different wines and ranges according to their specific properties.
Marlborough has become synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc, and for good reason. Over the last 25+ years Babich has established a reputation for outstanding Sauvignon Blancs from entry level to ultra-premium; however those with a spirit of adventure can discover stunning examples of Marlborough Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer and Riesling.
Marlborough’s secret sauce is the combination of long, sun-soaked days to ripen the grapes, and cool nights that help lock in those famous aromatics. Add in a good dose of maritime mood swings, and you’ve got one of the most unique wine regions on the planet. Within it, our vineyards each tell their own story: the fresh, lively air of Pennarth in the upper Wairau, the warm, settled charm of Cowslip Valley in the southern valleys, and the brisk, windswept edge of Mara Babich vineyard in the Awatere.
Situated west of the Wairau Village, the Pennarth Farm Marlborough Vineyard was developed in 2017 with 60 Hectares of Sauvignon Blanc. This is the coolest and latest ripening of the Babich Family Estates vineyards.
Sauvignon Blanc
Planted on lighter loam soil this over underlying gravel, this Marlborough vineyard has plantings of several varieties. The vineyard is certified organic (Biogro) across the entire site.
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner and Albariño
Our Cowslip Valley, Marlborough vineyard has has glacial outwash, forming free draining clay loams soils which are perfect for growing Pinot Noir as well as the aromatic varieties.
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Pinot Noir
Echelon vineyard is an elevated 94Ha. property overlooking the controversial Waihopai Valley surveillance base. Deep silt loam “Jordan” soils over underlying clay rather than gravel are a feature of the site which is planted in Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris
The slightly heavier soil at our Selmes Rd, Marlborough vineyard produces grapes that are ideal for blending with fruit grown on lighter, gravelly soils.
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris
This vineyard is located on the north bank of the Awatere River ironically directly opposite our oldest vineyard, Wakefield Downs on the south bank. The vineyard has 30ha of Sauvignon Blanc and we are currently planting another 20ha. The vineyard is situated on an elevated terrace next to the Awatere river and has a combination of Warwick, Dashwood and Ugebrooke fertile silt loams. We are excited about harvesting some rich complex Awatere flavours from this vineyard.
Sauvignon Blanc
The Tetley Brook Vineyard (49 hectares) is planted exclusively in Sauvignon Blanc in a north sloping valley sheltered from cold southerly winds by surrounding hills.
Sauvignon Blanc
A spectacular terraced site with sandy loam soils above the Awatere River. This particularly free-draining Marlborough vineyard planted exclusively with Sauvignon Blanc has a frost-free microclimate that is ideal for grape growing.
Sauvignon Blanc
Built in 2013 this 10,000 tonne capacity winery is the processing facility for all of our Marlborough vineyards.
