Tending a vineyard in the midst of a stunning alpine landscape is both immensely rewarding and a constant challenge. Central Otago is an unpredictable, on the edge winegrowing region - baking hot in the peak of summer and bone-numbingly cold in the depths of winter. Dealing with brutal spring frosts then picking grapes in the snow in May is not unusual in these surroundings. Viticulture and Winemaking.

From the vineyard through to harvest and winemaking our philosophy is careful, gentle handling of the fruit and the developing wine blends to allow a true expression of terroir. The vines are nurtured on a low input, environmentally friendly basis, under the exacting care of Pip Feyan and her vineyard crew. Picking is all by hand in our own vineyards, with yields maintained at an extremely low level after intensive canopy and crop management. Vine density is around 2,500 per hectare, with yields ranging from 1kg to 2.5kg per vine.

Our two vineyards together comprise 35 hectares (50 acres) of planted area in two of Central Otago's best locations - at the very end of Felton Road overlooking the Kawarau River and in the lakeside Pisa district beneath the imposing Pisa Range.

Our Crown Range Vineyard on the Wanaka Road in Lowburn

• 13.5 ha in area, essentially flat, rectangular site, close to Lake Dunstan.
• All pinot noir, UCD clones.
• One of the warmest, ea rliest ripening spots in the Central Ota go area.
• Produces fruit with ripe jammy, concentrated flavours .
• Some frost risk, wind machines to deal with that.
• Soils are variable due to the glacial deposits and as su ch we pick selected parcels when flavours are deemed to be at their best.

The Terraces Vineyards, at the end of Felton Rd in Bannockburn

• 22ha in two vineyards, facing north west and shaped like a long thin, bent wedge, running on a NE/SW axis.
• At the entrance to the Kawarau Gorge, runs from Kawarau River up Long Gully stream, directly under Mt Difficulty.
• All pinot noir, Dijon clones except Pinot Gris 1 ha & Riesling 2 ha.
• Vineyards are on two levels, separated by a steep, but short slope. From the top end to the river end, the altitude drops by 75 metres.
• Primarily Lochar soils – infertile gravels and silt, covered by a thin layer of poor top soils, laid down by erosion from mountain ranges above the vineyard.
• Low frost risk to date and tends to ripen two weeks after our other.

The Terraces site is split into two vineyards:

• Kawarau River End: Mid-season ripening, light soils, intense flavours, lowest cropping, windy site, small vines, gives rise to delicate characters, inter-row crop of wild thyme – it's great for rabbits, venison and lamb and the wine matches it perfectly. What it does for the vines we are not sure but as an additional ingredient it is sublime.
• Long Gulley End. Last to ripen, cooler, heavier soils, lightly cropped, two distinct terraces therefore picked as an upper and lower selection and treated differently in the winery to maximise each site's distinctive character. Vastly different from the river end.

All together this Felton Road Block is approximately 2km long and must be treated as multiple independent sites. Due to the variations in microclimate and soils each sub-block is individually managed from irrigation to mowing and grass competition strategies. Mulch is applied to lighter areas and avoided on heavier soils.

The mix of Dijon and UCD clones from two very different sites provides a superb range of flavours for our wines. Our Bannockburn vineyard has a range of Lochar soil types that have a high proportion of gravels, while Lowburn is an essentially level site with a base of glacial and alluvial shingles.