Robin Tedder MW purchased the High Garden Vineyard after recognising it’s potential to produce immaculate Pinot Noir out of Central Otago. High Garden is the highest vineyard in Gibbston Valley, the coolest sub-region of Central Otago.
Planted twenty years ago with a combination of clones on 100% schist soil, the High Garden vineyard is an equilibrium of extremes. Unforgiving rocky soils, high altitude and steep slopes, these are conditions not for the faint of heart but ideal for those seeking the holy grail of Central Otago Pinot Noir. Yields from the site are comparable to DRC’s Grand Cru Romanee-Conti Vineyard and the style of winemaking is focused on letting the site shine with no enzymatic additions, fining or filtration.
Jenn Parr of Valli fame and 2020 NZ Winemaker of the Year heads up the winemaking team with Gary Crabbe managing the viticulture. Due to the nature of the project High Garden is extremely limited and therefore is on an allocation only basis.
SUSTAINABILITY.
Gary Crabbe is one of the legends of organic/biodynamic viticulture in New Zealand. As a result, all inputs into the vineyard are organic with a focus on promoting soil biology. Organic tea and seaweed derived compost is utilised as well as native grasses and flowers planted in mid rows for parasitic wasps and soil biochemistry. Irrigation is kept to a minimum with the help of water runoff