Brian and Nicola Bricknell worked vintages together in Hungary, France and Chile, before returning to New Zealand in 1996. At this time it was common practice to blend grapes from different areas in Marlborough to produce a finished wine, but Brian noticed that different sites in Marlborough produced wines with markedly different and unique profiles. He therefore decided to make wines from different vineyard sites to showcase regional complexities and highlight the differences in terroir, as they did in other parts of the world. This was the idea behind Mahi and their first vintage was in 2001, from a tiny 1.5 hectare parcel of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from the Byrne Vineyard towards the west of the Wairau Valley (a site they continue to work with). Mahi means “our work, our craft” in the Maori language and was chosen by Brian to reflect that the wines are handcrafted with passion. This underpins everything they do in their quest to celebrate the Marlborough region. In 2006 the couple completed the purchase of the historic Cellier le Brun winery located in Renwick, close to the Wairau River, about 10 kilometers west of Blenheim. They upgraded and modernised the winery and their first Mahi vintage in their new home was in 2007. Brian and Nic's son Max joined his parents in the business in 2020. Mahi presently use fruit from eight vineyards sites in Marlborough, working closely with growers, maintaining a close relationship with the owners, and continue to seek out new vineyards sites. Mahi take a minimal approach and make wines as naturally as possible, the grapes are hand-picked and whole-cluster pressed, utilizing native yeasts for fermentation. If oak is used it is French as they believe this gives a more savoury profile. Their Pinot Noirs are bottled unfiltered, and the primary emphasis for all of their wines is texture. Mahi wines have a real sense of place, exhibiting the quality and diversity of the Marlborough regions. This is the very typicity of Marlborough!
www.mahiwine.co.nz