High Garden Vineyard Pinot Noir

"At their best Gibbston Pinots are the most complete Pinot Noirs in Central Otago, delivering a dense midpalate and great length as well as admirable austerity thanks to Gibbston's coolness." Matt Kramer in The Wine Spectator

“High Garden is one of the highest vineyards in Gibbston, on schist rock soils sloping towards the north with very long sunshine hours, making it one of the warmest sites in the coolest subregion for Pinot Noir.” Robin Tedder MW Vigneron.

The vineyard soils at High Garden comprise a layer of schist rocks over gravelly glacial loess which has been washed down from the mountain range, behind the vineyard, over millennia. These soils provide ideal structure and drainage allowing deep rooting systems to form. There is enough organic matter and sub surface moisture to provide the vines with just enough sustenance to maintain a healthy canopy until winter starts to bite come late May. The mountain tops are covered in snow much of the year and there is a burn running down alongside the vineyard.

Situated at between 420 and 490 metres of altitude High Garden is one of the highest vineyards in Gibbston, Central Otago’s coolest sub region. It has great exposure to long sunshine hours. There can be mist and shade at the bottom of the valley for between one and one and a half hours before the early morning sun arrives. The vineyard slopes down towards the north allowing for the free draining of both air, which minimizes frost risk, and water; although the vines are now dry land farmed.