Marlborough has a Sauvignon problem.
Well, not really. Sauvignon Blanc is the reason Marlborough is on the wine map, and it's the reason we pour, ship and land in new markets year after year. It's the engine. It's also, for a lot of the region, the whole story.
That's missing half of the fun.
The Landmark Series is our answer. Small batch, handcrafted, and built to do the work Sauvignon can't carry on its own. Three wines in particula, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Grüner Veltliner — add a dimension most Marlborough ranges don't bother with. They give sommeliers, buyers and drinkers something different to talk about.
Here's how each one earns its slot.
Landmark Riesling
Cuisine Magazine named our 2025 vintage Top Riesling in New Zealand, and called it "utterly delicious." That's about as useful a selling line as you'll get.
The wine itself is focused, bright and elegantly off-dry — lemon peel, jasmine, and a long, polished finish. Cameron Douglas gave it 93 points and flagged the wet-stone minerality that runs underneath.
It lives best on food-led lists, by-the-glass programs where a sommelier wants range, or at retail for anyone tired of the same default aromatic.
Landmark Gewürztraminer
People love to write Gewürztraminer off. We don't.
Ours is perfumed, poised, and far more food-friendly than the category's reputation suggests — pineapple, lychee, rose petal, ginger spice, with a proper dry line through it. Aromatic, but not floppy. Cameron Douglas gave it 91 points. James Suckling gave the 2025 vintage 90.
It's the aromatic wildcard: brilliant with spice-led menus, strong in sommelier-led accounts, and memorable enough to earn repeat orders. Buyers order one case to try and come back for three.
Landmark Grüner Veltliner
Apricot, lemongrass, jasmine and a saline, zesty finish. Yvonne Lorkin called it a "wallop of a wine" — and we agree.
Grüner is Austria's pour, and Marlborough isn't exactly known for it. That's kind of the point. It's fresh, food-friendly, sommelier-approved. The wine that helps a list feel more considered without becoming hard work.
Why this matters
Two reasons.
One: trade. If you're a sommelier, buyer or retailer working with just SB and Pinot, you're working with half a hand. Adding aromatics gives your list shape, gives your staff something to sell, and — critically — gives your customers a reason to come back. The Landmarks are designed for exactly that.
Two: us. We came up making Sauvignon, and we're not bored of it. But we didn't start Misty Cove to make one wine. Theese aromatic wines is where we get to show the winery's range, fruit selection, acacia barriques, lees aging - true small batch winemaking.
A small caveat
These wines aren't for every account. If the room only drinks SB and Shiraz, the Gewürz won't move. That's fine. We're not trying to be everyone's go-to aromatics house. We're trying to be a useful partner for venues that care about range, and a quality producer for drinkers who are done with the safe bets.
The aromatics reward curiosity. That's who they're for.
Pick your fight
- Riesling — for food-led venues and anyone tired of the SB default
- Gewürz — for spice-led menus and sommeliers building a personality
- Grüner — for the adventurous list that wants to feel current
Tech sheets, bottle shots and tasting notes live in our Trade Hub. Samples on request — drop Carlos a line direct: carlos@mistycovewines.com.
