Sacred Hill

Sacred Hill's story begins on Mason family farmland in the Dartmoor Valley, a sheltered Hawke's Bay sub-region inland from Napier on New Zealand's North Island east coast. Ian Mason, father of founders David and Mark Mason, was among the first farmers in the valley to diversify out of sheep and arable into viticulture, planting grapevines in the late 1970s on land that sat directly below Puketapu, a small village whose Maori name translates to sacred hill. In 1985 a young winemaker named Tony Bish joined the operation to manage the estate vineyard for the Mason family, and in 1986 David and Mark launched Sacred Hill as a commercial winery, with Bish vinifying the inaugural release. That first vintage, just 350 cases of Fume Blanc, sold out on release; the 1987 follow-up sold out 700 cases, and the foundation for a national brand was laid. Sacred Hill grew through the 1990s and 2000s into one of the largest privately owned wine producers in New Zealand, expanding from the Dartmoor Valley estate into the prestigious Gimblett Gravels sub-region with the Deerstalkers Vineyard, adding Riflemans and Swamp Road sites in Hawke's Bay, and acquiring six Marlborough vineyards to supply a parallel Sauvignon Blanc programme. By the late 2010s the group was producing more than 350,000 cases annually and exporting to over 30 countries, with its Special Selection range firmly established among New Zealand's reference flagships.

• Founded 1986 by brothers David and Mark Mason on the family Dartmoor Valley farm with founding winemaker Tony Bish, who had joined to manage the estate vineyard the previous year
• Inaugural release 350 cases of 1986 Fume Blanc sold out; 1987 vintage sold out 700 cases and launched the brand commercially
• Name derives from Puketapu (sacred hill in Maori), the small village adjoining the Mason family farm in the Dartmoor Valley
• Grew through the 1990s-2010s into one of New Zealand's largest privately owned producers at 350,000+ cases annually, exporting to 30+ countries

Sacred Hill is built around four tiered ranges. The Special Selection tier at the top comprises three Chardonnays and three Hawke's Bay reds, each sourced from a named vineyard. Helmsman, the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux blend, is the producer's flagship red and a perennial trophy contender in New Zealand wine shows; fruit is hand picked from Sacred Hill's Gimblett Gravels vineyards, and the blend varies by vintage but typically runs around 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc (as in the 2015 release). Brokenstone is a Merlot-led blend named for the vineyard site that took so long to become profitable it was affectionately called Stoneybroke; the Gimblett Gravels block delivers ripe, structured fruit. Deerstalkers Syrah, named for the Deerstalkers Association clubrooms that once stood on the Gimblett Gravels, is the producer's super-premium northern Rhone-styled red, dense and savoury. Riflemans Chardonnay, named for the Titipounamu (Little Greenstone) native bird, is the long-running benchmark from the Riflemans Vineyard in Dartmoor Valley; its 2006 vintage won the O-I New Zealand Champion Chardonnay Trophy at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, and the 2014 release was named on the Fine Wines of New Zealand list. The Wine Thief Chardonnay, made from the same Riflemans Vineyard fruit since 2004 and joining the Special Selection tier from the 2014 vintage, is a barrel-selection cuvee assembled by tasting individual barrels with the wine thief tool. Below Special Selection sit the Halo, Reserve, and Origin (formerly entry-level Whitecliff) tiers, including the export-volume Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc programme and Hawke's Bay Reserve Chardonnay.

• Helmsman: flagship Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux blend from Gimblett Gravels vineyards; typically around 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc; perennial trophy contender in NZ wine shows
• Brokenstone: Merlot-led Gimblett Gravels blend named for the site nicknamed Stoneybroke before it became profitable
• Deerstalkers Syrah: super-premium Gimblett Gravels Syrah named for the Deerstalkers Association clubrooms that once stood on the site
• Riflemans Chardonnay: benchmark Dartmoor Valley Chardonnay named for the Titipounamu native bird; 2006 won O-I NZ Champion Chardonnay Trophy, 2014 named on Fine Wines of New Zealand list
• Wine Thief Chardonnay: barrel-selection Riflemans Vineyard cuvee assembled with a wine thief tool; first made 2004, joined Special Selection from 2014

Sacred Hill farms across two distinct New Zealand wine regions with sharply different terroirs. In Hawke's Bay the home vineyard in the Dartmoor Valley sits below Puketapu on warm alluvial soils suited to Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc; the Riflemans Vineyard within this site is the source for the Special Selection Chardonnays. The Deerstalkers Vineyard sits in the Gimblett Gravels, the most acclaimed sub-region of Hawke's Bay, defined by deep deposits of greywacke gravel laid down by the historic Ngaruroro River course before it shifted. The free-draining stones absorb heat during the day and release it overnight, providing the warmth Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah require to ripen fully in a cool-climate New Zealand context; Deerstalkers is planted to Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Syrah and supplies fruit for Helmsman, Brokenstone, and Deerstalkers Syrah. Additional Hawke's Bay sites including Swamp Road provide supplementary fruit for the lower tiers. In Marlborough, Sacred Hill historically owned six vineyards, three of which are planted entirely to Sauvignon Blanc; these supplied the high-volume Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc programme (including the long-running Whitecliff label, named for the 100-foot limestone cliffs surrounding the original Hawke's Bay vineyard). Following the 2021 receivership, the Marlborough vineyard operations passed to Vinlink, which continues to supply Sacred Hill with Marlborough fruit under contract.

• Dartmoor Valley (Hawke's Bay): home vineyard below Puketapu on warm alluvial soils; Riflemans Vineyard supplies the Special Selection Chardonnays
• Gimblett Gravels: Deerstalkers Vineyard on deep greywacke gravels deposited by the historic Ngaruroro River course; planted to Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Syrah for Helmsman, Brokenstone, and Deerstalkers Syrah
• Free-draining Gimblett stones absorb daytime heat and radiate overnight, delivering the warmth required to ripen Bordeaux varieties and Syrah in a cool-climate New Zealand context
• Marlborough: six historical vineyards (three planted entirely to Sauvignon Blanc); ownership passed to Vinlink in 2021 with ongoing supply contracts for the Sacred Hill Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc programme

Sacred Hill's house style across both founding-era and current ownership emphasises site expression and varietal clarity over winemaker stamp. Riflemans Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed, fermented in French oak barriques (a meaningful proportion of new oak in any given vintage), and matured on full lees with regular stirring for around 11 months; the wine is built for structure and ageability, with the cool Dartmoor Valley site delivering a long natural acid spine. Wine Thief is the lighter, more immediate counterpoint, assembled from individual barrels of Riflemans fruit that the winemaker selects by drawing samples directly from the barrel with the traditional wine thief tool. On the red side, Helmsman is hand picked and fermented in small open-top vessels with extended skin maceration to extract the structured, chalky tannin profile that has come to define the wine, then matured in French oak (a significant new-oak component) for around 18 months to integrate before bottling. Brokenstone follows similar principles but with more Merlot to give a plusher, fleshier mid-palate, and Deerstalkers Syrah uses partial whole-cluster fermentation and tighter French oak handling to highlight the savoury, peppery, dark-fruited profile that Gimblett Gravels delivers in cooler vintages. Following the 2022 ownership change, Chief Winemaker Nick Picone (formerly Group Chief Winemaker at Villa Maria for two decades and ten-time NZ Winemaker of the Year between 2011 and 2020) has taken over the top-tier programme, with founding winemaker Tony Bish continuing in a consulting role on the iconic Chardonnays.

• Riflemans Chardonnay: whole-bunch press, French oak barrique fermentation with meaningful new oak, around 11 months on full lees with stirring for ageable structure
• Helmsman: hand picked, small open-top fermenters, extended skin maceration, around 18 months in French oak with significant new-oak component
• Wine Thief Chardonnay: barrel-by-barrel selection from Riflemans Vineyard using the traditional wine thief sampling tool; lighter, more immediate counterpoint to Riflemans
• Chief Winemaker Nick Picone (2022 onwards): ex Villa Maria Group Chief Winemaker, ten-time NZ Winemaker of the Year 2011-2020; Tony Bish consulting

After three decades of growth Sacred Hill's parent company hit a financial wall in 2021. Westpac Bank appointed BDO receivers Rees Logan and Andrew McKay on 6 May 2021 to Sacred Hill Vineyards Limited, and on 12 May to Sacred Hill Marlborough Vineyards Limited; the group's total liabilities were reported at approximately NZ$98.5 million, with Westpac the principal secured creditor at around NZ$52.4 million. In February 2022 the Hawke's Bay winery, brand, and core vineyard assets were acquired by the Poulter Group, a Hawke's Bay-based family company owned by Steve Poulter; the Hawke's Bay business fetched over NZ$6 million, and the broader Sacred Hill receivership sales totalled around NZ$49 million. The Marlborough vineyard operations were acquired separately by Vinlink, a contract winemaking and viticulture business, which continues to supply Sacred Hill with Marlborough fruit. Under Poulter ownership the brand was relaunched with a new Chief Winemaker, Nick Picone, recruited in February 2022 after two decades at Villa Maria including the Group Chief Winemaker role; his ten New Zealand Winemaker of the Year or Winemaker of the Show titles between 2011 and 2020 made the hire a signal of intent. Founding winemaker Tony Bish, who launched his own Tony Bish Wines label in 2013, continues as a consultant winemaker on the heritage Chardonnay programme. The Special Selection range continues uninterrupted; recent recognition includes top-50 placements at the New World Wine Awards under-NZ$25 category for the 2020 Reserve Chardonnay and 2022 Rose.

• Westpac Bank placed Sacred Hill Vineyards in receivership on 6 May 2021 and Sacred Hill Marlborough Vineyards on 12 May 2021; total liabilities approximately NZ$98.5 million with Westpac the principal secured creditor at around NZ$52.4 million
• Hawke's Bay winery, brand, and core assets acquired by Steve Poulter's Poulter Group in February 2022 for over NZ$6 million; total Sacred Hill receivership sales around NZ$49 million
• Marlborough vineyards acquired by Vinlink in June 2021; ongoing fruit supply contracts maintain the Sacred Hill Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc programme
• Nick Picone joined as Chief Winemaker February 2022 after 20+ years at Villa Maria including Group Chief Winemaker role; ten NZ Winemaker of the Year titles 2011-2020