Blicks Lane Vineyards is the vision of the two brothers behind Walnut Block Wines – Clyde and Nigel Sowman. Walnut Block has grown to a very sustainable business with the regional line of wines, the estate line and the single block line. They saw the need for another single vineyard bottling showcasing the unique site of Walnut Block but unfortunately none of their neighbors were looking to sell vineyards. Therefore, the Sowlands went back to the drawing board and negotiated a long-term lease controlling the farming entirely of a neighboring vineyard and aptly named the brand Blicks Lane, as that is the road that is shared between Walnut Block Estate and this adjacent vineyard.

The farming mirrors that of Walnut Block as it is entirely organic (Walnut Block has been certified since 2009) with the feeling that the Sowland boys could grow grapes with a higher quality than those grown using conventional methods.  As the vines have become more self-sufficient and naturally balanced, they have seen a greater depth of flavor and improved mouthfeel in the wines. The vines themselves can adapt to seasonal variations, which result in consistently healthy, and well-balanced grapes.

The winemaking is very similar to Walnut Block with balanced crop loads, a mixture of native and inoculated ferments, primarily stainless steel with a few barrels tossed in for texture and classic Marlborough delineated flavors. The Wairau Valley reflects a combination of alluvial soils, deposited over thousands of years from an ancient riverbed that flows between the mountainous borders of this valley, and the region’s high sunshine hours and the temperate New Zealand climate.