Winemaking

The winemaking facilities here at Nautilus Estate are absolutely state of the art, and in many respects are unique in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Nautilus Pinot Cellar

Completed in 2000, Nautilus Pinot Noir is made in a cellar solely dedicated to Pinot. All the equipment used here is only for Pinot – all designed to handle the fruit as gently as possible and allow the natural intense flavours and aromas – the expression of the different vineyards – to come to the fore.

• 16 open-top fermenters each with a capacity of 8 tonnes.
• The tanks have both heating and cooling capacity, enabling us to cold soak prior to fermentation and warm or cool ferments as necessary.
• The crusher is mounted on a rail above the tanks and a 'Taylors' bin lifter is used to elevate the fruit and feed the crusher/destemmer. The fruit is destemmed directly into the tanks avoiding the use of a must pump. When one tank is filled the crusher/destemmer is moved along to the next.
• A three head pneumatic plunging device ('Big foot') has been constructed which gently plunges the cap during cold soak and fermentation, allowing us total management of the cap. Automated control not only enhances quality but has also turned a labour intensive, time consuming task into a simple controllable procedure.
• The central catwalk, which provides unrestricted access to the tanks, allows us to closely monitor the ferments and cap temperature.
• After fermentation, the wine is drained off and the skins are dropped into bins to be loaded into the press using the same bin lifter.
• The young wines are transferred to barrel after pressing by gravity and will typically remain undisturbed in barrel until blending and bottling.

The Nautilus White Winery

In 2006, we completed a new white wine making facility to process our Sauvignon Blanc, Cuvee, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. This facility is absolutely state of the art, allowing precise control of the winemaking process and improving the environmental footprint of the winery by reducing energy requirements and waste.

• All tanks insulated for precise temperature control and energy efficiency
• The ability to compost all grape marc on site to return to the vineyards
• The ability to process 10% on our vintage intake on a single day (if required)
• Up to date mechanical systems for fast and efficient grape handling including locally designed and built hydraulic tipping drainers – Taylor’s Engineering ‘Tipping Tanks’
• Latest design ceramic cross flow filter which is very gentle on the wines and minimises waste

Profile

Clive Jones - Winemaker/Winery Manager

Clive Jones joined Nautilus Estate as Winemaker in August 1998.

Clive is a graduate in wine science from Charles Sturt University and had spent the previous 6 years working for Selaks Wines in Auckland. Clive originally trained as an industrial chemist before being drawn to the wine industry as a passionate wine consumer.

With a background in the production of Marlborough wines, a move to the region and a pioneering producer such as Nautilus Estate provided the next step and a fantastic opportunity." Marlborough is really the heart of the New Zealand wine industry and what a great place to bring up a family."

Since joining Nautilus Estate, Clive has seen the development of the Nautilus Pinot Noir programme. A winemaking tour of Oregon was completed in 1999, with a focus on quality Pinot Noir production. In 2004 Clive worked the Burgundy vintage at Domaine Dujac. While Pinot Noir is providing an immediate stimulus, Clive is also passionate about Sauvignon Blanc. "It is great to see the distinctive Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc flavours as they develop on the vine. Then we see them further emerge through fermentation and we can release a world class product three months later. A wine that is truly made on the vine."