Who We Are

Welcome to Brookby Hill vineyard, the home of CLAY ON CLAY wines.

When we first found this picturesque 7 hectare vineyard set within a natural amphitheatre of clay hills in Marlborough's Southern Valleys, it felt like fate - our surname is Clay and our 30,000 vines thrive in deep, rich glacial clay soils. It was meant to be.

Having lived in England for over 20 years, drinking French Bordeaux styled wines became our passion. New Zealand’s rich fertile lands and climate brings out a lot of those same qualities - but with an added subtlety of a pure fruit, driven twist.

Elegant yet complex, our wines are a true reflection of our home, our hard work and the earth beneath our feet. Our handcrafted wines, unlike mass-produced ones, differ each vintage, shaped by sunlight, temperature and soil variations. Enjoy!

The Land

Across our land, 30,000 vines are planted in the traditional French style, with tight row spacing and high-density plantings that place each vine in deliberate competition with its neighbors.

In this environment, roots weave and intertwine within the same clay layers, not forced deeper, but compelled to fight for every drop of water and trace of mineral. This natural rivalry tempers vine vigor, focuses energy and results in smaller, more intensely flavored berries.

The elevated skin-to-juice ratio of these grapes delivers wines with remarkable depth of color, elegant tannins, and aromatic complexity.

Tend it… carefully looked after by everyone living and working on the vineyard throughout the ten growing months it takes to bring each season’s fruit to maturity

Prune it… by hand or by machine, a ‘light’ summer haircut to the canopy so the sunlight can get to the ripening grape berries below

Pick it… gently by hand, reducing the amount of free running precious juice escaping before getting the grapes into the winery. Late autumn, Mar – Apr

Press it… the grapes, storks and all! are gently squeezed within a couple of hours of being picked

Bottle it… after the fruit has gone through its fermentation stage, it sits in French oak barrels for over a year maturing before blending, bottling and ageing

Your CLAY ON CLAY questions answered

On our 7-hectare (17-acre) vineyard we grow 6 varieties of grapes, but predominantly Pinot Noir. Of the four hectares of Pinot, we have four different clones.
The interesting thing about different clones is that each brings something unique to the party (and we do like a party)! Some plants are better suited to growing in our very hard, dry clay soils, while others struggle, producing smaller, more concentrated, flavourful berries. Did you know? Most of a grape’s flavour comes from the skin of the fruit, while the juice comes from the pulp in the centre.
Once pressed, these different clones of Pinot Noir are selected and blended into the final version of that season’s wine by the winemaker. This is the “true art,” as the fruit differs so widely in taste from year to year depending on the season. We want to make a wine that tells you the story of that year’s toil, our ups and downs, in a single sip (or sips)!
Our grape varities we grow in order of acerage: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonay, Riesling, Syrah, Vionier.
The Southern Valleys region within Marlborough are known for their heavy, dry clay soils — and these soils are a big part of what makes our wine distinctive. Clay holds water differently from the region’s more common alluvial and riverbed gravel soils (which grow the best tasting sauvigon blanc in the world) but we might be slighlty bias!
Clay soil drains slowly, warms slowly, and naturally limits vine vigour.
This means the vines put more of their energy into producing smaller, more flavour-intense berries rather than lots of leafy growth. Smaller berries have a higher skin-to-juice ratio, which results in deeper colour, richer texture, and more concentrated flavours
Combine this with Marlborough’s cool climate, long growing season, and the unique behaviour of different Pinot Noir clones in these soils, and you get wines that truly tell the story of the place - bold yet elegant, expressive yet grounded in the clay that shapes them.
Pinot Noir wines produced from the Southern Valleys will age beautifully for 7–12 years, and in exceptional seasons even longer. Over time, the bright cherry and plum characters soften into savoury, earthy layers with silky texture and real depth.
It’s a style that starts vibrant and juicy, then slowly reveals the story of its place, and its season, as the years go by