Collection: Heipipi The Terraces

Our goal has always been to make this wine with as few inputs as possible. To make a true and honest wine, reflecting the grandeur and uniqueness of this site. Organic farming, no irrigation and harvesting as a field blend are all integral parts of the viticultural story and vividly expressed in this 2018 vintage. Harvested at 24.1 brix on April 20, the vineyard yielded just 5.34 tonnes from its 1.93 hectares under vine, equating to roughly 1 bottle per vine.

The winemaking too reflects our desire to let the wine speak of its vineyard origins. The eleven barrels resting in our cellars represent the rewards of our labour stretching all the way back to pruning in July 2017. Fermentation as always took place in a single concrete fermenter and the gentle but thorough extraction of colour and tannin undertaken by hand. Maturation until now has been conducted in French oak barriques, but will be shortly followed by a yet to be determined time in tank before bottling without either fining or filtration.

This blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc has with time matured into a deeply coloured and supple wine, showcasing the vineyard’s signature notes of blackberry, cherry and dried herbs supplemented with smoke and liquorice. This 2018 vintage of Heipipi ‘The Terraces’ will age gracefully for many years, approaching its peak sometime around 2030– 2035 and gaining further complexity for at least another decade.