Sourced entirely from North Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. The plantings are divided into 23 separate blocks, highlighting clonal selection, sun exposure, land aspect and soil composites. Surrounding the vineyard is our working sheep and beef farm covering 500 hectares.The two main hill slopes are dissected by a lake which divides the vineyard into North and South blocks. The Northern blocks are lower and cooler and more suited to our Sauvignon Blanc. The Southern blocks are higher and warmer, and suited to our Pinot Noir and Riesling varieties.

The spread of picking dates enabled a range of flavours within the Sauvignon Blanc from ripe tropical fruits to more herbaceous green herbs. The picking period was driven partially by yield and fruit condition but also because of the many different block locations and aspects on the vineyard which provide a nice array of variables and options at blending. The majority of the wine was fermented cool with a long slow fermentation to retain fruit aroma. The tank fermented wines were racked off gross lees approximately 10-20 days post fermentation while 5% of the wine was fermented in old barrels and left on lees for 2 months to provide texture. The Black Label was blended in June and bottled in early August.