From fruit grown to closely husbanded vines on the Villa Maria estate property, at the outskirts of the eminent Gimblett Gravels precinct in Hawkes Bay. The vineyard has been managed to holistic principles of viticulture for many years, the quality of wine speaks for itself. Rather than relying on herbicides or pesticides, the focus is on enhancing soil health and yielding harvests of clean, natural grapes. Yields are kept limited to realize a quality of fruit that's concentrated and bursting with ripe natural sugars.

A minimalistic approach is employed throughout the winemaking process to complement what has been painstakingly achieved in the vineyard. Merlot grapes are destemmed and crushed into fermentation vessels. Fruit is pumped over and plunged several times daily for optimal extraction rich of colour, flavour and and just the right amount of gentle, soft tannins. Following the press and completion of malolactic, a component is transferred to a selection of seasoned French and American oak barriques for a year's maturation. Free range organic egg whites are employed to naturally soften the wine's tannins prior to filtration into bottle.