Neudorf Vineyards

Neudorf's story begins with Tim and Judy Finn arriving in Nelson in 1976 looking for a place to grow grapes at a time when virtually no one in the region was doing so commercially. Hermann Seifried had planted Nelson's first vines three years earlier in 1973, but the Moutere Hills were still apple country and the climate remained largely untested for fine wine. The Finns found an ex-commune property called Farmagusta high on the kaolinitic clay-gravel ridges of Upper Moutere and bought it. Tim milled a couple of large macrocarpa trees on the site to convert a 120-year-old stable into the first winery, built his own grafting machine, and in 1978 the family planted the first vines. The early years were lean: four mortgages, three jobs each, an old house with electricity in just two rooms, an outside long drop, an inefficient wood stove, and no hot water. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Pinot Gris emerged as the consistent performers across the early vintages on the distinctive Moutere soils, and those four varieties remain the backbone of the Moutere wines today.

• Tim and Judy Finn arrived in Nelson in 1976; first vines planted 1978 on the Upper Moutere site formerly known as the Farmagusta commune
• First winery built from a 120-year-old macrocarpa stable on the property; Tim milled the timber and built his own grafting machine
• Hermann Seifried (Seifried Estate) had planted Nelson's first vines in 1973; the Finns followed five years later and established the second foundational Nelson estate
• Early-decade life on four mortgages, three jobs each, and no hot water; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Pinot Gris quickly proved the right varieties for the site

Neudorf farms roughly 25 hectares of estate land across three Upper Moutere blocks with approximately 20 hectares under vine. The site is defined by what New Zealanders call Moutere Clay-Gravels: kaolinitic clay soils laid down by long-melted glaciers, with a sandy loam topsoil over a deep, stony clay-gravel subsoil that holds water without waterlogging and pushes roots to depth. The structure is the reason the Home Block has been able to dry-farm for more than 40 years without permanent irrigation, and the reason the wines carry the dense mineral grip that separates Moutere fruit from the lighter, more aromatic profile of the nearby Waimea Plains. The Home Block sits at around 60 metres elevation on a north-facing slope around the winery and is planted to Chardonnay (including original 1978 Mendoza-clone vines), Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris. Rosie's Block, purchased in 1999, lies at 90 metres elevation overlooking the Home Block, with similar Moutere Clay-Gravels but less stone and approximately 19% clay content; it carries Chardonnay, Riesling, and Albarino. Tom's Block adjoins the Home Block and is planted exclusively to Pinot Noir. All three estate blocks are certified BioGro Organic and dry-farmed.

• Approximately 25 hectares of estate land in Upper Moutere with ~20 hectares of vines across three blocks; all certified BioGro Organic (registration #5438)
• Moutere Clay-Gravels: kaolinitic clay over deep stony clay-gravel subsoil from ancient glacial deposits; sandy loam topsoil; naturally low fertility and excellent water retention
• Home Block: ~60m elevation, north-facing, Chardonnay (incl. 1978 Mendoza), Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris; dry-farmed for 40+ years with no permanent irrigation
• Rosie's Block: 90m elevation, purchased 1999, ~19% clay with less stone, planted to Chardonnay, Riesling, and Albarino; Tom's Block: adjoining the Home Block, Pinot Noir only

Every estate block at Neudorf is certified BioGro Organic, a three-year process that involves a stringent vineyard management plan and yearly audits, and the wines from the Home Block, Rosie's Block, and Tom's Block all carry organic certification on label. Beyond the certification baseline, viticulturist Stef Brockley (who joined Neudorf from Moutere neighbour Greenhough) has steered the operation toward regenerative practices over the past several years. The work now centres on cover cropping between the rows, on-site composting, biochar incorporation into the soil profile, and low- or no-till management of the vineyard floor to build soil biology and sequester carbon. Mature vines are dry-farmed across the estate; the Home Block in particular has had no permanent irrigation for over 40 years, which produces small, intensely flavoured berries with thick skins and concentrated mineral character. Neudorf has been one of the New Zealand industry's more outspoken voices on carbon footprint accounting and viticultural climate impact, with Rosie Finn and the team contributing publicly to the broader regenerative-wine conversation alongside the technical organic work in the vineyard.

• All three estate blocks (Home, Rosie's, Tom's) certified BioGro Organic; certification #5438
• Regenerative practices led by viticulturist Stef Brockley: cover cropping, on-site composting, biochar, reduced tillage to build soil biology and sequester carbon
• Dry-farmed across mature vines; the Home Block has operated without permanent irrigation for over 40 years
• Neudorf has been one of New Zealand's more visible producers in the carbon footprint and regenerative-viticulture conversation

Neudorf's portfolio is built in two tiers. The single-vineyard Moutere wines come exclusively from the three certified-organic estate blocks and carry vineyard-block names: Home Block, Rosie's Block, and Tom's Block (the Home Block Chardonnay was for many years simply labelled Moutere Chardonnay, and is the wine that built the estate's international reputation). The Home Block produces the flagship Chardonnay from Mendoza-clone vines including original 1978 plantings, alongside Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris from the same site. Rosie's Block carries a richer-styled Chardonnay (including an amphora-fermented bottling), a dry Riesling, and an Albarino (a more recent planting that has become one of New Zealand's reference examples of the Galician variety). Tom's Block produces a structured single-vineyard Pinot Noir built for the long haul, with the winery recommending at least three years in bottle before opening (and five-plus years for the Home Block Pinot Noir). The Tiritiri range, introduced more recently as a second label, is made from grower-sourced fruit (the name comes from Te Reo Maori for to cultivate or grow) and includes a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris at a more accessible price point; these wines sit beneath the certified-organic Moutere tier and are not necessarily organic.

• Home Block (estate, organic): Moutere Chardonnay (flagship, Mendoza clone incl. 1978 vines), Moutere Pinot Noir, Moutere Pinot Gris
• Rosie's Block (estate, organic): Moutere Chardonnay (including amphora bottling), Moutere Riesling, Moutere Albarino
• Tom's Block (estate, organic): single-vineyard Pinot Noir built for cellaring; winery recommends 3+ years in bottle, 5+ for Home Block Pinot Noir
• Tiritiri (second label, grower-sourced): Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris; not certified organic, more accessible price point

Neudorf's flagship Chardonnay has carried the international reputation of Nelson for more than thirty years. Jancis Robinson MW has written that the Moutere Chardonnay would fool many tasters into thinking it was a fine white Burgundy, and in one well-known Sydney Top 100 tasting Australian judge Huon Hooke called what he was certain was a Puligny-Montrachet in a blind flight only for the bottle to be revealed as Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay. Decanter has consistently scored the wine across vintages, describing the 2015 as a great example of defined elegance with unfolding layers of creaminess, spice, nuts, and caramelised brioche, and praising the 2009 as a hugely satisfying, fully flavoured, savoury Chardonnay. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate has called it a must-have wine. In recent vintages the Home Block Moutere Chardonnay 2024 was named the sole Nelson representative on global new-release lists tracked by The Real Review, and the wine routinely appears alongside Kumeu River and Te Mata Estate Elston as one of the three New Zealand Chardonnays most often invoked as a global reference point. Founder Tim Finn passed away in 2024 after a long health battle; the estate continues under Rosie Finn, Todd Stevens, and Stef Brockley.

• Jancis Robinson MW: Moutere Chardonnay would fool many tasters into thinking it was a fine white Burgundy; Robert Parker's Wine Advocate calls it a must-have
• Decanter: 2015 Moutere praised as a great example of defined elegance with layers of creaminess, spice, nuts, and caramelised brioche; 2009 a hugely satisfying, savoury Chardonnay
• Huon Hooke called it a Puligny-Montrachet ringer in a Sydney Top 100 blind tasting before the Neudorf bottle was revealed
• Routinely cited with Kumeu River and Te Mata Estate Elston as one of New Zealand's three benchmark Chardonnays; Tim Finn passed away in 2024 and Rosie Finn, Todd Stevens, and Stef Brockley lead the next chapter