Nautilus Estate

Nautilus Estate is a wine producer in Marlborough, New Zealand. The family-owned estate was established in 1985, and has grown from one vineyard in the Wairau Valley to a total of six throughout the region. Nautilus is well known for its wines made of Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, as well as its sparkling wine.

The original 7-hectare (17-acre) Renwick vineyard sits on well-draining, stony alluvium soil and is mainly planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as small parcels of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner and Albariño. The three remaining Wairau Valley vineyards – Opawa, Kaituna and Lanark – are primarily planted with Sauvignon Blanc vines, and have a cool, dry climate.

The Clay Hills vineyard in the Omaka Valley is Nautilus Estate's premium Pinot Noir vineyard and was planted over 6ha (14 acres) between 1999 and 2004. The clay-rich soils in this vineyard give a richer style of wine, and so most of the grapes for the Nautilus Pinot Noir are sourced from this vineyard. Nautilus also has a vineyard in the Awatere Valley that is considerably cooler and drier than the Wairau vineyards. The glacial river terraces here are planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris vines.

Nautilus Estate has two separate wineries – one for its white wines and one for its red wines. The Pinot Noir is mostly destemmed and vinified in open-top fermenting tanks before being aged in oak for around a year. The white wines are whole-bunch pressed save for the Sauvignon Blanc, and are aged in both tank and barrel, depending on the grape variety and vintage.