On the 14th of November 2016 our Ward Valley Estate Vineyard was shaken badly for 2 minutes by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake. Luckily for the vineyard, damage was minimal even though we were situated right in the middle of the most powerful release of energy 100km north of the quake epicentre in Culverden near Kaikorua. The earthquake was so powerful that down at Ward Beach the sea level rose over 2m and state highway 1 was closed for over a year. It was this force of nature that inspired the name for our ‘Epicentre’ Pinot Noir.

Ward Valley is situated at the southern frontier of Marlborough, making it a special place within a special place. The vineyards combination of high altitude, dry air, temperature extremes and deep clay creates a marginal climate and terroir that produces wines of rare complexity. The founders of Ward Valley, James Leary and Freddy Davison have worked tirelessly with their winemaker, to create a range of wines that truly embody the earth that it is made from and the hands that it is made by.