The family-owned Coal Pit boutique vineyard covers 12 hectares of land on the north-facing slopes of the Gibbston Valley.
The north block of the vineyard was first planted in 1994 with 4.0 hectares of Pinot Noir and 2.0 of Sauvignon Blanc, followed by a further 1.5 hectares of Pinot Noir planted on the back block in 2000.
Since its purchase by the current owner, Rosie Dunphy, in 2001, only modest amounts of wine have been produced, with Rosie wanting to concentrate on improving the viticultural aspect of the business.
A 30-tonne winery was constructed on the property and designed by award-winning architect Chris Kelly.
The motivation behind the decision to build the winery on site, rather than sending the grapes away for production, was the desire to be able to pick the grapes at their best. Then, while the grape’s vibrancy and delicate flavours were still fresh, to quickly transfer them to the fermenting tanks.
This makes it one of the few single vineyards in Gibbston where the grapes are grown, handpicked and crafted into wines on site.
At latitude 45° South, Central Otago is not only the most southerly wine-producing region in the world, but perhaps the most breathtaking, with snow-capped peaks, dramatic rivers and thyme-covered hills.
Central Otago, unlike New Zealand’s other wine regions, enjoys the most continental climate in the country. Hot brilliant summers followed by reliably cool nights allow the production of wines with vibrant fruit, striking aromatics, and excellent acid structure.
The long dry autumns allow the notoriously delicate Pinot Noir grapes to have valuable hang-time on the vines, giving the grapes more time to develop flavour.
Living in Australia in the 90’s Rosie Dunphy gained her interest in Viticulture when completing a three year full time study in Advanced Urban Horticulture at Sydney’s Ryde School of Horticulture.
Five years later, having moved to Ireland with her family and still keen to further her
viticultural studies, Rosie commuted to the UK for a year to study Viticulture at Plumpton College, near Lewes, East Sussex.
In 2000, whilst still in Ireland, Rosie learnt the Coal Pit Vineyard was on the market. After consulting specialists in the area the family realised this was a rare opportunity to acquire a beautiful vineyard on the slopes of Gibbston Valley. Within two months she, her husband and their four children, returned to their native country to pursue the dream of producing world class wines.
One of those true Otago residents, Lynn was literally led by her nose back home. Smells are her passion, and, having missed out becoming a perfume 'nez', she chose the next best thing, becoming a winemaker. Experience in microbiology married with a love of the aromatics; not just of wine but the smells of the Otago landscape. The unpredictability of wine inspires her as each barrel, tank and ferment throws up new and exciting challenges.
Lynn, a graduate of Lincoln University, brings a wealth of experience in winemaking to Coal Pit Vineyard, having worked in California, Austria, Martinborough and our very own Central Otago.
Married to Coal Pit Vineyard’s viticulturist, Gary Crabbe, Lynn and Gary together have a young daughter, Scarlett.
A wandering stone, Gary migrated from the 'Great White North' (i.e. Canada) to New Zealand to study viticulture at Lincoln University. Gary’s main idea was to steal ideas from the New Zealand wine industry, and take them back to Canada, but instead he had his heart stolen.
Having met his wife while harvesting grapes along the Coalpit Road, he couldn't go back. His favourite aspect of viticulture is “the beauty and colour of the Pinot Noir grapes hanging on the vines.”
The inky black lines top and bottom of Chris Heaphy’s abstract painting, represent the coal seams that were once a part of the Central Otago landscape, while the dominating cadmium red represents the red grapes grown in the vineyard. This bold design making for a really striking label that stands out on the shelf.
New Zealand born Chris Heaphy, of Ngai Tahu Maori and European extraction, completed a BFA in painting in 1991 at Canterbury School of Fine Arts, Christchurch. Further study at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia saw Chris gain an MFA in painting, followed by Waka Toi grants, the 1994 Olivia Spencer Bower Fellowship and a research grant from Waikato Polytechnic enabling him to travel and undertake a residency at Melbourne’s RMIT University.
In 1999 Chris received two creative New Zealand grants, followed by a 2000-2001,residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and a further French residency at Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin in Champagne in 2001.
Chris, who lives and works in Auckland, has exhibited extensively throughout Australasia and Europe and his work is included in numerous major public and private collections in New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Asia and North America.
“Fundamentally his practice engages with the notion that the relationship between sign and signifier, like that of culture and identity, is fluid, ambiguous and in a constant state of flux” - Gow Langsford Gallery
