Some may mark their arrival with the rhythmic buzz of cicadas, endless roads of vineyards, and the unpredictable sound of air guns to keep birds away, but for us it came well before that. Our moment arrived as we were walking to the baggage claim area and experienced the sudden roll of garage doors and our suitcases arriving on the back of a mini ute. We knew we had arrived in Blenheim.

And with a full day mapped out by our friends at Marisco, we were bursting with excitement to find out what surprises laid ahead.

9:45am – Understanding the land

After introductions to the team, along with a delicious fresh berry scone and a strong coffee, we prepared ourselves to hop aboard the mighty Polaris. But first we listened as we were told about the size of the station, but it wasn’t until we arrived atop one of the many peeks that we understood the true scale – 2,300 hectares with mountains reaching back as far as the eye can see.

This alone was enough to leave us in awe, but Anton Rasmusse, General Manager of viticulture, then shared the history behind the land. Leefield Station has been in family ownership since its founding in 1840. Settled by Constantine Dillon, it remained in the Dillon family until 1998 – over 150 years. During that time, it farmed sheep and beef, which was fairly standard for Marlborough during that time.

In 2012 the Marisco family became just the fourth owners of Leefield Station in its near 200-year history. Looking out over the landscape, we were struck by the number of hills that surrounded the vineyards. The team could have easily bulldozed the hilly terrain to create maximum space for planting vines but instead chose to preserve the land that had been nurtured for generations and create a modern farming haven with a mixture of viticulture and livestock. Now, vineyards stretch out over the lower slopes following the natural gentle rolling landscape, while sheep graze the higher slopes, pigs keep an eye on the bulls and beehives hum at work.

10:30am – Meeting the animals

Once it had been established that a myriad of animals was kept in the area, we smiled to find that next on the agenda was meeting the various fury farm friends and learning about their role at the station.

First, we met the Purebred Berkshire pigs, who were primarily used as breeding stock. We’d never seen such big pigs before, and ones with such intelligence and unique personalities.

A quick trip back on the Polaris and we found the sheep’s home within what is known as ‘the village’. The village is the hub where all daily activities start, finish and everything in between happens for Leefield’s farming team. It’s where sheep are shorn, machinery is maintained, and bulls are sold, amongst other things.

There are over 5,500 sheep of both Romney and Hampshire breeds. 5000 are utilised to graze the vineyard while the wool from the Romney produces Leefield Station’s range of blankets, beanies and socks (available for purchase very soon).

We found ourselves in awe as we learnt how every inch of the sheep is used, from the meat for distribution, to the wool for warming products, to even the dags for trailed in the vineyards between the vines looking at improving moisture retention and mulching.

Moving back outdoors, Farm Manager, Greg Crombie, put us to work with shepherds’ whistles and after showing him what we had with a few pitiful blows of air, he rightfully took back the control. Greg introduced us to the dogs, showcasing how each breed had different methods of herding sheep and bulls –Huntaways using their constant barking and the New Zealand Heading Dog by maintaining relentless eye contact.

Before calling it a day with the animals, we ended up bumping into the team’s beekeeper, Jeff, who was oozing both passion and literal honey as he held out a fresh honeycomb (which we most definitely dipped a finger in).

12:30pm – Lunch break

While the honey was utterly delicious, we found ourselves hankering for something a little more substantial. So, after our cherished time with the animals, the team popped us back on the Polaris as we headed for another mountain peak to park up and tuck into lunch!

With all sorts of fresh bites, both savoury and sweet, we lolled into the depths of our camping chairs, took in the view and discussed all that we had seen and heard so far.

What we both found to be the most striking, and brought up again and again, was the team of people we were meeting along the way. One of Leefield’s core values is ‘shared pride’ where they commit to ‘creating something special the whole team feels ownership of and deep pride in’ and it showed. The individual passion of each person combined to make a powerful force. 

2:20pm – Wine tasting

To our delighted surprise, the good times with Marisco’s wine continued as we changed locations and met with Matt Mitchell, General Manager of the winery, for an official tasting session.

Matt showcased his expertise as he taught us about the diverse soil types, growing aspects and climates at Leefield Station and how they provide an incredible opportunity to grow wines of distinctive aroma, texture and flavour.

All within the station, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir and Syrah are grown and produced. We took on the difficult role of putting them to the test and can report back that they are certainly a reflection of the best of Marlborough.

6:00pm – Paddock to plate

Having stopped off at our accommodation for a quick shower to transition from farm to glam, we returned to the heart of the village for a full-circle moment as we enjoyed dinner using meat from the station’s Angus bulls and succulent pork belly from the Purebred Berkshire pigs. Everything was, naturally, accompanied by stunning Marisco wines, including the Leefield Station Rosé 2024, The Leefield Station Pinot Gris 2024, and Leefield Station Pinot Noir 2022.

We spent the rest of the evening laughing and learning all we could from the Leefield Station team, leaving well-fed and full of new stories to share.

For your slice of Leefield Station, you can explore the Marisco wines here and their merchandise here.

www.marisco.co.nz
@marisco_wines
@thenedwine
@leefield_station