Our Vineyard

As great wine can only be made from the highest quality grapes, we searched for two years to find the perfect place to establish our vineyard. We chose the Matakana region, an hour’s drive north of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. Matakana’s warm summers and low rainfall create ideal conditions for traditional Bordeaux varieties.

Eventually we found our ideal site - a steep north-facing slope of free-draining, iron-rich volcanic clay, which is sheltered from rain by a mountain range and warmed by the nearby Pacific Ocean. Planting began in 1998 and is closely modelled on the finest Bordeaux vineyards. Dense plantings of vines are set close to the ground so the grapes are warmed by heat rising from the clay. Two-thirds of the vineyard is planted in cabernet franc, which thrives in Matakana, producing a wine of great character. The rest is in merlot, with a small amount of malbec.

The vineyard now covers 1.5 acres – “Small enough that I know every vine,” Toby says. “Practically everything is done by hand.”