Black Barn Vineyards

Black Barn began as an accidental vineyard. In the early 1990s Andy Coltart approached Kim Thorp about a block of north-facing hillside above Havelock North that Coltart had been planning to subdivide for housing. Local objections to the proposed subdivision led the Hawke's Bay Regional Council to designate the surrounding hills as a Special Character Zone in 1996, the first such legally protected wine-growing area in New Zealand. With subdivision off the table, the 22 acres of land needed a new purpose, and Coltart and Thorp planted their first vines on the slopes in 1994. The original black-painted wooden barn that still stands on the property gave the new venture its name. Thorp, a founding partner of Saatchi and Saatchi New Zealand and one of the country's celebrated advertising creative directors, brought brand-building instincts to the project; Coltart brought the land and the architectural vision that would later shape the bistro, amphitheatre, and retreat buildings. Rush Cottage, a small dwelling sitting in the middle of the original vines, was restored in 1994 as the property's first guest accommodation, the beginning of what would grow into a 17-retreat portfolio. The first commercial vintages followed within a few years, with Dave McKee joining as winemaker in the early 2000s and remaining in the role for more than twenty vintages. The 30th anniversary was marked in 2024, a milestone that came just over a year after Cyclone Gabrielle struck Hawke's Bay in February 2023 and forced the popular summer Growers' Market to close for a season.

• Founded 1994 by Andy Coltart and Kim Thorp after a planned housing subdivision was blocked by local objections, leading the council to create the Te Mata Special Character Zone in 1996
• Kim Thorp was a founding partner of Saatchi and Saatchi New Zealand, bringing creative-director branding instincts to the venture; Coltart contributed the land and architectural direction
• Named after the original black-painted wooden barn on the property, which has become an icon of the Havelock Hills
• Cyclone Gabrielle (February 2023) interrupted the summer Growers' Market for a season; estate operations resumed the following summer ahead of the 2024 30th anniversary

Black Barn's portfolio is small and estate-driven, with all wines hand-picked from the 25-acre vineyard and most available only through the cellar door and website. The flagship Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc, produced since 2013, is the wine that earned the estate national recognition: a hillside expression of the variety that emphasises perfumed dark berry fruit, soft tannins, and a lifted aromatic character rather than the bell-pepper greenness sometimes associated with cool-climate Cabernet Franc. The Havelock Hills Merlot Cabernet Franc, a Bordeaux-style blend led by Merlot with Cabernet Franc support, is the broader red flagship and the estate's everyday red cuvee, showing plush red fruit, savoury herb, and fine tannins from French oak maturation. Single Vineyard Merlot and the Concetta cuvee anchor the top of the red range alongside the Cabernet Franc, with Havelock Hills Syrah and Sangiovese adding warm-climate varietal expressions. Among the whites, the Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is the white reference: cool-climate fruit from the Te Mata foothills, wild-fermented or partially wild-fermented in French oak with light lees work, producing a creamy textured wine with restrained oak influence and a citrus-driven finish. Black Barn Chardonnay (stainless steel) and Single Vineyard Pinot Gris round out the white range, with a Havelock Hills Rose and traditional-method NV Brut and Sparkling Rose completing the cellar-door lineup. Most production is allocated through the cellar door, restaurant partnerships, and a loyal direct-to-consumer mailing list.

• Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc (since 2013): the flagship and one of New Zealand's most consistently awarded expressions of the variety; perfumed dark berry, soft tannins, lifted aromatics
• Havelock Hills Merlot Cabernet Franc: Bordeaux-style blend led by Merlot with Cabernet Franc; French oak matured; the estate's everyday red cuvee
• Single Vineyard Merlot and Concetta: top-tier single-block reds; Havelock Hills Syrah and Sangiovese add warmer-climate varietal expressions
• Barrel Fermented Chardonnay: cool-climate Te Mata foothills fruit, French oak fermentation, light lees work; creamy texture with restrained oak
• Single Vineyard Pinot Gris and Black Barn Chardonnay: cellar door and direct-to-consumer focus; NV Brut and Sparkling Rose round out the sparkling range

Black Barn's roughly 25 acres of estate vines sit on the north-facing slopes of the Havelock Hills, immediately adjacent to Te Mata Peak in the southern part of Hawke's Bay's Heretaunga Plains wine region. The Te Mata Special Character Zone in which the vineyard sits was formally protected by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council in 1996, becoming New Zealand's first legally protected wine-growing area and securing the hillside against further subdivision. The slope provides several viticultural advantages: north-facing aspect maximises sunlight interception at the cool 39.6 degrees south latitude, the elevation lifts daytime air movement and reduces frost risk relative to the valley floor, and the soils transition from older sedimentary clay loams on the upper slopes to free-draining alluvial gravels lower down. The cool nights and warm sunny days produce slow, even ripening, particularly suited to the perfumed aromatic profile of Cabernet Franc and the linear acidity of cool-climate Chardonnay. Yields are kept low and individual blocks are hand-harvested in multiple picks to capture fruit at different ripeness profiles. The estate is small enough that every block is known by its position on the hill rather than by formal sub-block names, and the winemaking team can tailor pick dates and barrel selections to the character of each parcel.

• Approximately 25 acres of estate vines on the north-facing slopes of the Havelock Hills adjacent to Te Mata Peak, southern Heretaunga Plains, Hawke's Bay
• Te Mata Special Character Zone: New Zealand's first legally protected wine-growing area, formally designated by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council in 1996
• Soils transition from sedimentary clay loams on upper slopes to free-draining alluvial gravels lower down; cool nights and warm sunny days drive slow even ripening
• Low yields, hand harvest across multiple picks; small enough scale that individual blocks are managed by position rather than formal naming

Black Barn's house style under Dave McKee, who has led the cellar for more than two decades alongside co-winemaker Becs Coghill, is built around restraint rather than extraction. The philosophy is to let the Te Mata Peak hillside speak through the wines, with a preference for fruit purity, balance, and elegance over weight or oak. The reds are gently handled, with extended ferments at moderate temperatures, manageable cap-management to extract colour and ripe tannin without over-stripping, and maturation in French oak barriques with a relatively low new-oak percentage to keep oak influence in support rather than the foreground. The Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc programme treats the variety as a perfumed, age-worthy red rather than a blending component, with careful destemming, gentle fermentation, and longer barrel maturation that allows the aromatic florality of the variety to develop. The Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed, wild-fermented or partially wild-fermented in French oak, then matured on fine lees with periodic stirring to build texture without dominating fruit. The Single Vineyard Pinot Gris and the stainless-steel Black Barn Chardonnay are kept aromatically clean, intended as cellar-door drinking wines rather than the structural reference points of the range. Across the portfolio the winemaking decisions are conservative by design, prioritising consistency of style year-on-year over experimentation.

• Dave McKee has led the cellar for over twenty vintages; works alongside co-winemaker Becs Coghill; philosophy of restraint, fruit purity, and balance over extraction
• Reds: gentle ferments, controlled extraction, French oak maturation with low new-oak percentage to keep oak supportive rather than dominant
• Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc treated as a perfumed age-worthy red, not a blending grape: careful destemming and longer barrel maturation for aromatic florality
• Barrel Fermented Chardonnay: whole-bunch pressed, wild or partial wild ferment in French oak, lees-stirred for textural complexity

Three decades after the first plantings, Black Barn occupies a distinctive position in New Zealand wine: the wine production remains intentionally small (most bottles never leave the cellar door) while the surrounding hospitality and events business has grown into the most recognisable destination brand in Hawke's Bay. The 2,000-seat Black Barn Amphitheatre, carved into a natural hillside bowl on the property, has become an internationally recognised outdoor concert venue praised for its acoustics, grass-terrace seating, and views over the Heretaunga Plains to the Pacific. The Black Barn Bistro, the property's award-winning restaurant, focuses on seasonal Hawke's Bay produce alongside the estate wines and has earned a reputation for wood-fired pizzas and gourmet platters. The Saturday morning Growers' Market, which ran throughout the summer season for years before Cyclone Gabrielle forced a one-year pause in 2023-24, draws crowds from Napier and Hastings each weekend. The accommodation portfolio has grown to 17 luxury retreats spread across the Havelock Hills, each architecturally distinctive and run as long-term rentals. Kim Thorp's elevation as Hawke's Bay's Great Wine Capitals Ambassador in recent years has confirmed the estate's role as a public face of the region, even as the wine production itself remains small by Hawke's Bay standards. The 30th anniversary in 2024 marked a generation of work, and Coltart and Thorp's stated focus going forward is consolidation, continued estate quality, and the long-term legacy of the Te Mata Special Character Zone.

• Black Barn Amphitheatre: 2,000-seat outdoor venue carved into the hillside, internationally regarded for acoustics and views; one of New Zealand's premier outdoor concert sites
• Black Barn Bistro: award-winning restaurant focused on seasonal Hawke's Bay produce; famous for wood-fired pizzas and gourmet platters
• Saturday summer Growers' Market: paused after Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, resumed the following summer; major weekly draw from Napier and Hastings
• Accommodation: 17 luxury retreats across the Havelock Hills; Kim Thorp serves as Hawke's Bay Great Wine Capitals Ambassador