2023 Big Sky Martinborough Chardonnay

Its Origins

Big Sky Wines is the Te Muna Road Martinborough wine venture of Katherine Jacobs and Jeremy Corban who returned to New Zealand from France in 2005 to make world class, hand-crafted wines that express their origins. Katherine studied and worked in viticulture and winemaking in New Zealand and France, doing vintages in Bordeaux. Jeremy is a fourth generation winemaker, a scion of the famous Corban family. Katherine and Jeremy are part of the fabric of the Te Muna Road district, with well-known neighbours Craggy Range, The Escarpment Vineyard, Te Hera and Julicher Estate around them. Katherine and Jeremy took over a site established by Ian Campbell, with 1.8 ha of Sauvignon Blanc and clone 10/5 Pinot Noir planted in 1989, and 4.2 ha of clone 115 Pinot Noir planted in 1999. They have revitalised the vineyard and personally tend the vineyard. The first crops were sold as contract fruit, but from 2013, their own label ‘Big Sky’ became the main focus, taking 80% of the yield, a reversal of the past.