Marlborough winemaker Brent Marris and leading Australian winemaker Darren De Bortoli embarked on a project that was the culmination of much planning. Two renowned winemaking families from either side of the Tasman, have combined their impressive winemaking skills to produce a world class Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Brent Marris has been producing Sauvignon Blanc since 1985 and is a university friend of Darren De Bortoli whilst at Roseworthy College. It seems only fitting that when Darren looked to join forces with a Marlborough winemaker, Brent was the obvious choice. The concept of making a wine and developing a brand through a trans-Tasman partnership has a great story to it. What Brent is doing with his vineyards in Marlborough is truly exceptional, values that are fully aligned with the De Bortoli way.

When Darren approached Brent in 2007 about working together on a joint winemaking project, he became really excited at the prospect of two winemaking families, both renowned for their own wine styles and history, coming together to produce a wine brand that would be unique in its story and innovative in its presentation.

The original 3 Tales site is located on the south side of the Wairau valley and was one of the first to be planted on the foothills of the Marlborough region. It was developed by the Marris family, who have been involved in Marlborough viticulture since the first plantings in 1973. With over 20 years of experience the Marris family chose the site for its ability to grow a distinctive Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.

3 Tales is one of the first vineyard sites to see the morning sun and one of the last to see the setting sun. Rows are planted running down the ridge in a north/south direction. They are positioned 2.2m apart with vines planted 1.8m apart and are trickle irrigated. It is not a heavy yielding site as the vines have to work hard. You could draw parallels to vines producing exceptional crops from areas such as Tuscany and Burgundy.

3 Tales has emerged as a brand name through the three stories that make up the background of the wine – the De Bortoli family story, the Marris family story and finally the story of the two families coming together to produce this unique wine with fruit being sourced from estate vineyards from the slopes in the Wairau Valley to the river flats of the Waihopai Valley. Whilst being a joint venture the wine is distinctively New Zealand in its look and feel. The Wairau and Waihopai Valleys have provided a near perfect environment to encourage the development of 3 Tales intense traditional Malborough Sauvignon Blanc flavours. It is this intensity of fruit flavour that has become a hallmark of the great wines of Malborough.

The Wairau and Waihopai valleys of Marlborough have provided a near perfect environment to encourage the development of 3 Tales intense traditional Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc flavours. It is this vibrancy of fruit flavour that has become a hallmark of the great wines of Marlborough.