Established in 1978 by kiwifruit farmer Morton Brown, the original Morton vineyard in Katikati produced its first vintage in 1983. The following year Morton Estate’s first Black Label Chardonnay won gold at The 1984 Royal Easter Show, New Zealand’s premiere national wine competition. The subsequent vintage achieved the same result. Significantly, in both years, Morton Estate was also awarded the overall trophy for the highest average points for all wines entered. Morton Estate won gold again at the 1986 Royal Easter Show and for the first time, also achieved international recognition, winning two gold medals for Chardonnay and Fume Blanc at Australia’s 1986 Melbourne Wine Show.
In the following three years, Morton Estate continued to enjoy a string of successes at various national and international events, winning gold medals every year as well as trophies for the best white wine and best wine overall. International achievements in 1987 included a gold for the 1985 Black Label Chardonnay
at London’s International Wine and Spirit Competition, and a gold for Morton Methode Champenoise in the Sydney Top 100. In 1988, the Riverview Estate in Hawkes Bay was acquired. It has since proved to be the
single most successful vineyard in the region and has become renowned internationally, most notably for its Chardonnays. Shortly thereafter, the company also acquired the Stone Creek site in Marlborough’s Wairau plains, the home of some of the world’s most highly acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc.
While white wines were responsible for most of Morton’s early successes, the early 90s were notable for the emergence of Morton reds, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Merlot blends all of which won gold medals at national and international level. In 1991, Morton Estate was invited to pour
at the prestigious New York Wine experience. Invitations are reserved exclusively for wineries that are considered by the organisers to be the top 200 or so chateaux in the world. Since then, Morton has been invited to this event on two further occasions, in 1999 and 2001. By 1994, Morton’s Estates had been further
expanded through the acquisition of two additional vineyard sites in Hawkes Bay.
The following year, the company was purchased by current owners Alison and John Coney who subsequently embarked on a major development programme. In 1996 a new crush plant was built at Riverview and the historic building in Auckland now known as Morton House was purchased and refurbished. Morton Estate wines continued to win many accolades throughout the 90s. But it was in 1997 that the company reached a pinnacle of international achievement when the 1995 Black Label Chardonnay won gold at London’s International Wine Challenge, a 94 point rating by Wine Spectator magazine and the trophy for “best Chardonnay in the world”.
The subsequent vintage also won gold at the International Wine Challenge the very next year. The consistency of Morton Estate Chardonnays has been well proven with every vintage from 1995 to date achieving 90+ rating points by Wine Spectator. Development and expansion of Morton’s estates continued throughout the late 1990s, with further vineyard sites being acquired.
A new warehouse facility was built at Katikati in 1999 and a new winery the following year.
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