Kingsmill Wines is a boutique vineyard located in the heart of this stunning country. The vineyard itself is perched atop an old alluvial terrace containing the original "Tippet's Dam" which was key to the gold mining of the area as it was used to supply water to the face of the Bannockburn sluicings. These sluicings are now a Department of Conservation Reserve and provide a stunning view from the bottom of the vineyard.
The property was purchased in 2000 by Phillip Horn and Donna Abrams with the express purpose of producing a unique and premium pinot noir. The soils are free draining, gold bearing schist, with some clay component in the south west corner. The planting of the vineyard was designed by New Zealand champion viticulturist Karen Olssen to take advantage of this. Six different pinot noir clones were chosen and a total of 12,000 vines were established.
We have launched our 2009 Pinot Noir and the 2009 Riesling and both are drinking very well. We have recently bottled our 2011 Pinot Noir. We finished this wine and then returned it to old barrels for a further 6 months to take it to another level.
