Realising a great passion for wine and the land Brandon Orr-Walker and Judy McIntosh were drawn to the Kaipara district, the birth place of New Zealand's first commercial vineyard in the 1860's. Bordeaux styled wines from the area were acclaimed by Romeo Bragato. After extensive searching for a suitable site through the lower, central and northerly reaches of the Kaipara, they settled on a warm hillside site in the Waioneke valley mid way up South Head peninsula. This peninsula is characterised by rolling free draining leached sandy loam soils, warm daytime temperatures and a long growing season. Convinced that complex and satisfying wine would result from a diverse encepage avoiding monoclonal plantings, or single varietals, they sought out older plantings and a diverse 'palate' of genetic sources from grapevine selections in New Zealand and overseas collections. Particular emphasis has been to plant selections with high quality attributes. Trial plantings of a diverse range of varieties have been planted in an effort to develop unique regional style.