The story of Clos Ostler began in earnest 38 million years ago when geological forces drove an ancient limestone seabed upwards forming the building blocks of the modern Waitaki Valley in Aotearoa New Zealand. Today, the valley is home to one of New Zealand’s unique wine growing climates — one that sits close to the margins of winegrowing and subsequently yields some of the most complex and nuanced wines known to New Zealand.
Situated on the Eastern slope of the South Island’s main divide, the Waitaki Valley is a large, braided river valley draining the highest peaks of Aotearoa’s Southern Alps. The name Waitaki, translated from Te Reo, is said to mean ‘the tears of Aoraki’ — Aotearoa’s highest peak.
It is with this considered knowledge of the land beneath us that we produce our wines. Clos Ostler pays homage to the Grand Cru limestone vineyards of Burgundy, bringing together a rich winemaking tradition of minimal interven¬tion and a truly unique terroir to truly express the complexities of Clos Ostler grapes.
The winemaking process requires a close attunement of the rhythms of the earth and its climate that takes years to perfect. This understanding, alongside the unique aspect, soils, and limestone substrata at Clos Ostler allow us to create wines that are simply not seen elsewhere in the world.
Our focus at Clos Ostler is the Pinot Noir grape — a much lauded varietal in this region of New Zealand — and one that we bring a uniquely Clos Ostler flavour to. With Clos Ostler Caroline’s Pinot Noir receiving six consecutive Gold awards at the London International Wine Challenge, it is hard to refute that the wines coming from the Clos Ostler cellar are world-class and only getting better.
