Vineyards

History

Naboth's Vineyard was originally planted in 1981 to assess the potential of hillside vineyards in our region. Tests proved successful and in 1989 we decided to consolidate the varietal mix and expand the plantings to incorporate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 1993 saw the first commercial harvest and in exceptional years the fruit from this site is selected for Clos de Ste. Anne. Over the last three years we have had the wonderful experience of developing and enclosing the original Naboth's Vineyard into now what is the 30 acre Clos de Ste. Anne estate. This includes vineyards, forest plantations and amenity trees, livestock and olive plantations. With this most recent planting we have expanded and consolidated our collection of Pinot Noir clones. On the higher plateaux Syrah and Viognier have been planted. The original Naboth's Vineyard now includes four other smaller vineyards named, La Bas, La Cote, Les Arbres, and The Crucible.

Naboth's Vineyard

The Naboths Vineyard is a small very steep hillside planting and came into production for the 1993 vintage. This vineyard enjoys a commanding view of the Poverty Bay valley and, due to its aspect, must be one of the first vineyards in the world to see the light of the new day. It is worked mostly by hand. Reference is made to the Old Testament (1 Kings ch21) from where the name of this vineyard is derived. This vineyard is dry farmed and the fruit from this site includes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

La Bas

La Bas is situated at the foot of the hill slope. The heavy ground found here we considered near perfect for Chenin Blanc, a variety almost unique to us in New Zealand. To date we have blended this wine into our standard wine. A section of these grapes are planted beside the forest plantings where it stands for a time in the shadow. It makes for interesting light interceptions and the resulting taste profiles arising from these events.

La Cote

La Cote is situated next to Les Arbres where Viognier is grown. This is a smaller plantation of Pinot Noir grapes.

Les Arbres

Like the Chenin Blanc, a small section of the Viognier grapes grown in Les Arbres are planted next to the forest. The light is only on these grapes for a short period during the heat of the day making interesting light perceptions and the resulting taste profiles arising from these events.

The Crucible

Planted on the higher plateaux, Syrah is in a little space protected from the cooling sea breezes and gets surprisingly hot there in the middle of summer. Hence the sites name "The Crucible".