Profile
Isabel Estate
100% Family Owned
100% Estate Grown & Bottled
100% Unique

Isabel Estate is a very special place. Quite unique in the broader context of the Marlborough regions.
The Tiller family were pioneers of the area, seeing the potential long before those that have followed. Mike Tiller, as an Air New Zealand pilot, had the distinct advantage of having an almost daily aerial view of the beautiful Wairau Valley in Marlborough, and hence the opportunity to identify the optimum sites for vineyard development.
The entire estate is hand pruned and handpicked which is no longer the norm in the region. All vineyard blocks are close planted with low trellised rows, with a vine density which is almost twice the average for the region. Yields are further restricted by pruning to low bud numbers and where necessary, shoot and bunch thinning.
Arch cane pruning, again an anomaly in the region, ensures even ripeness. Sustainable viticultural practices maintain vineyard health and soil nutrition, using a combination of mulching and organic fish based fertilizer.
There is no doubt these factors create the wonderful natural intensity and concentration of flavor that is the distinctive hallmark of the Isabel Estate wines. All wines are 100% Estate grown and produced. Testimony to the extraordinary development of the Marlborough region,
Isabel is now the largest remaining family owned Estate in Marlborough, with also some of the oldest vines in the region.
Isabel is very much a family affair. Established by Mike and Robyn, and named after Mike’s mother Isabel. Their sons and daughters, Brad, Luke, Caitlin and Jane are now all part of the Isabel Estate dynasty.
Download a high quality information sheet here.
Fast Facts
Location:
- Wairau Valley, Marlborough, just outside the township of Renwick.
- Latitude: 41.31S
- Longitude: 173.57S
- Elevation: Majority of vineyards on the flatlands. With additional vineyards on higher elevation slopes.
Climate:
- Cool climate, with extended sunshine hours
- Hot windy weather in Spring/ Summer
- Dry environment with modest rainfall: 700mm/28in pa.
- Deep free draining gravel with narrow layer of calcium rich clay in subsoil.
- Tight soil structure ensures low vigor.
- Varieties: Sauvignon blanc, dry riesling, Pinot gris and Pinot Noir
- Established in 1982
- Area under vine: 200+ acres. low trellised. dense planting (1200 vines per acre).
Current Releases from this Estate
2009 Isabel Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc
Review: Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar 88ptsRelease Date:2009
Region:Marlborough, New Zealand
2006 Isabel Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Review: Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar 88ptsRelease Date:2009
Region:Marlborough, New Zealand
2008 Isabel Dry Riesling
Dry Riesling
Review: Not yet availableRelease Date:2009
Region:Marlborough, New Zealand
2009 Isabel Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris
Review: Not yet availableRelease Date:2009
Region:Marlborough, New Zealand
2010 Isabel Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc
Review: Not yet availableRelease Date:Oct 2010
Region:Marlborough, New Zealand
2008 Isabel Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Review: Not yet availableRelease Date:Nov 2010
Region:Marlborough, New Zealand


