The world’s southernmost wine region and the country’s highest, Central Otago has a distinctive semi-continental climate, found nowhere else in New Zealand. It is one of the hottest, coldest and driest regions in New Zealand. The highest recorded maximum temperature is 38.7 degrees Celsius and the lowest -21.6 degrees.
Domenic selected the sub-region of Bendigo after years of vineyard development throughout Central Otago, being the warmest site in the coolest region. Located at 45 degrees South, Bendigo has an average of 1200 grow-degree-days (GDD), just what Pinot Noir enjoys!
Mondillo Vineyard occupies a set of alluvial terraces and stream fans that overlie schist bedrock. Present landforms are a snapshot of the ever-changing terrains associated with the many phases of glacial advances and retreats that have impacted on the Upper Clutha Valley during the current ice age (last 2.6 million years). In this time, several glaciers have overridden the site to terminate close to Cromwell, while younger and smaller events merely produced valley-wide alluvial infill in the vicinity of Bendigo.
Mondillo vineyard comprises of three terraces of sandy, silty loam over alluvial gravels that ensures exceptional drainage, warmer profiles and adds minerality to our wines.