WINE MAKING
“If we can conjure up memories in the drinker’s mind of seasons gone by, rich in nostalgia, then we consider our job as winemakers to be done.” – Chloe Somerset, Winemaker
We hand-make site expressive New Zealand wines renowned for their elegance and depth. To achieve this, we observe the vintage and environment, adapt our viticulture to suit the season, harvest when we have optimum ripeness for that vintage, and make the wine with a gentle hand.
Our wines are honest illustrations of the vines we tend. In both the vineyard and cellar, we combine time honoured manual techniques with new innovation.
Grapes are picked in small parcels by hand on Waiheke Island, and by harvester in Marlborough. They make their way a few meters to the cellar where the transformation into wine begins.
Gentle handling of juice, must and wine where possible. Ferments are often completed by the natural yeasts from our vineyard and winery. Malolactic fermentation is spontaneous and a function of the wines finding their own stable equilibrium. Oak is a companion to our wine, not a torch carrier. Ageing, blending and finishing involves creating harmony and integration. Together, all these things allow our wines to be characteristic of their origin.
We are an accredited member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand and cherish our status as leaders in producing premium wine while using viticultural and winemaking practices that protect the environment. In addition, our Marlborough Cinders Vineyard is Certified Organic with BioGro, which is validation of our commitment to continually improving our winegrowing practises, and to producing premium quality wine.