# Nautilus Estate Albariño (2025)

- **Producer:** Nautilus Estate
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Albariño
- **Region:** Marlborough, New Zealand
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €22
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 8–10 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** peach, lemon, grapefruit, orange, blossom, cream, biscuit

## About this wine

Established in 1985 by the Hill-Smith family, Nautilus Estate was a pioneer in Marlborough's premium wine scene, emerging when the country had only eighty operating wineries. Under the long-term guidance of winemaker Clive Jones, the estate has championed alternative aromatic varieties. This Albariño is sourced entirely from the estate's Renwick Vineyard in the Wairau Valley, planted on stony Rapaura soils. It represents a compelling New World expression of a classic maritime grape, capturing Marlborough's intense sunshine and cool nights.

## Interesting facts

- Nautilus was among the first wave of Marlborough wineries, established when New Zealand had only 80 operating wineries nationwide.
- The Albariño is sourced from a tiny 1.37-hectare block within the historic Renwick Vineyard, first purchased in 1992.
- The 2025 vintage won the Trophy for Champion Emerging White and a Gold Medal at the Aotearoa Regional Wine Awards.

## Food pairing

This Albariño's high acidity and distinctive saline minerality make it a natural partner for seafood and shellfish. The brief skin contact and lees aging provide a textured, slightly oily mid-palate that can stand up to richer dishes like pancetta-wrapped scallops or creamy risottos, while its crispness cuts through salty cheeses like feta or goat's cheese.

## Wine making process

The estate-grown Albariño grapes were machine-harvested on March 28, 2025, using a specialized destemming harvester. The fruit underwent a brief period of skin contact prior to pressing to enhance texture and mouthfeel. The clarified juice was cool-fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks using selected aromatic yeasts to preserve fruit purity. The wine was then matured on fine yeast lees (sur lie) in stainless steel for a short duration before bottling, with no oak contact.