JULICHER ESTATE

Julicher Estate is in the Te Muna valley, five kilometres from the Martinborough Township. The vineyard is part of a region which is internationally recognised as a producer of excellent Pinot Noir. The winery was founded 13 years ago by Wim Julicher when he bought 20 hectares of bare land on the Te Muna Terraces and planted the first vines in 1998. The soils of the vineyard are alluvial loams formed by the Huangarua River over 20,000 years ago with free-draining gravels now layered over the loams.

The vineyard has 15 hectares planted in grapes with the main variety being Pinot Noir (8½ ha). Other wines produced are Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé. The winery’s current production is around 7,000 cases.

The excellent micro-climate and terroir of Te Muna Road, plus Julicher’s dedication and drive for perfection, has been recognised in several recent prestigious awards, including Champion Wine of the Show for their Pinot Noir at the NZIWS in 2007.

Julicher is an accredited Sustainable Winegrowing vineyard, verifying their commitment to environmentally responsible wine production.

Outi Jakovirta

Outi is from Helsinki, Finland and moved to New Zealand in January 2004. On her arrival she studied a Postgraduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University. She is one of a very small number of Finnish winemakers in the World. Outi has significant experience in the international wine industry and has worked many harvests in France, Germany, Australia, California and Spain. Before joining the Julicher team in 2005, she worked at Martinborough Vineyard. When the harvest is completed at Julicher each year, Outi returns to the Northern Hemisphere for a few months to catch up with family, and also to further her skills with a vintage in the northern hemisphere.