"Bright, light strawberry colour with some depth, lighter on the rim. The nose is elegant and delicately expressed with gentle but positive aromas of strawberries and cream, pomegranate and red florals, along with thirst-quenching mineral hints. This has ethereal perfumes. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate has a softly concentrated core with lively and mouthwatering strawberry and cream fruit with notes of cranberries, pomegranate and red florals. The flavours are up-front and the palate flows along a light-textured phenolic line with balancing dryness. The acidity balances and enlivens the mouthfeel, and the wine carries to a long finish with floral nuances and mouthwatering minerals. This is a softly concentrated, lively and mouthwatering rosé with flavours of strawberries and cream, pomegranate and cranberries with red floral lift, on a soft-textured palate. Serve as an aperitif and with antipasto over the next 2 years. 100% Pinot Noir fruit from ‘Ward Farm’, given two and a half hours skin contact and cool-fermented to 12.2% alc. and < 1 g/L RS" Raymond Chan, Nov 2017

The palate has an elegant structure with a textural, juicy mid-palate and a refreshingly dry finish. Made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes this Rosé has an intense flavour that is perfectly suited to the style we want to achieve.

Mahi, meaning ‘our work, our craft’, began in 2001, fulfilling a dream of ours. After 15 vintages it was time to do our own thing. With a strong focus on single-vineyard wines, and now backed up by a series of premium regional wines from Marlborough, the idea behind Mahi is to respect and promote the individuality of the various vineyards. The Mahi symbol represents the strength, life and growth of the native New Zealand frond (fern), with the understanding that wine should never be rushed to bottle, respecting its ability to evolve naturally over time.

There are a number of distinguishing characteristics about this vintage, with the first being that it was one of our latest starts to date. Temperatures were not particularly low but the sunshine hours, especially in March had been a bit lower which slowed the process of photosynthesis. This year we harvested at slightly lower Brix than usual to make sure that the fruit was clean and aromatic rather than leaving it out to go through the tail ends of both Cyclone Debbie and Cook. Because of this something like 85% of the harvest came in over a relatively short period so there were a few long days and nights. The ferments were super aromatic and it was a year that gentle fruit handling and lower crop levels were appreciated, and one that really showed the value of having our own winery.

The wine comes from Pinot Noir grapes grown on our ‘Ward Farm’ vineyard, located just outside the township of Ward which is through the Awatere Valley. It is owned and managed by Pam and Polly Francis. Being at the southern end of the Marlborough appellation and so close to the sea, the vineyard benefits from the cool southerly winds that come up the coast and help retain fruit character. The focus with this wine is to provide a drink that has texture and depth, rather than focussing solely on primary fruit notes. We want a wine that satisfies across the palate and employ a number of techniques to achieve this. The grapes were harvested then left on skins for a period of time until we achieved the colour and flavour we wanted. It was then pressed and taken to tank for cool fermentation to preserve the vibrant fruit characters of the wine.