The Team

Chris & Jenny Hill – Owners of Locharburn
 
For years, owning a vineyard was an unattainable dream Chris and Jenny Hill would joke about with friends… until they succeeded in making it a reality late in 2004. 
 
After working in the construction industry for most of his life and growing a medium-sized electrical contracting business with 20 employees in New Plymouth, Chris wanted a change of lifestyle. Meanwhile, Jenny had been helping to establish the retail arm of the business in addition to shouldering much of the responsibility for their four children.  As the kids left home, she embarked on part-time study in fashion and textile art at the Western Institute of Technology of Taranaki.
 
The couple had long harboured an interest in wine and frequently visited Central Otago. “When we first drove up to Locharburn, we knew we had found the place we were looking for,” says Chris. “Our requirements had been for a partially developed site with views, and from a viticultural perspective the potential to produce great wines.”
 
After buying the vineyard, Chris completed a two-year distance learning diploma in winemaking and viticulture at EIT in Hawke’s Bay. His focus is on the vineyard itself and he is involved in all the day-to-day activities of managing Locharburn vineyard, with guidance from Grapevision’s Robin and James Dicey, who initially managed the property.
 
With his commercial background, Chris takes care of the business management. His other interests include aviation and cooking. He previously held a commercial pilot licence and occasionally he assists their son Joshua (now a chef and owner of popular Cromwell restaurant Feast) as sous chef! For relaxation, Chris loves to cycle, read and do gardening.
 
Apart from helping to handle sales for the brand, including working at the nearby Lazy Dog Café that is effectively their cellar door at the moment, Jenny pursues an increasingly rewarding career as a mixed media and textile artist.
 
During her studies, Jenny became particularly excited by the possibilities of free machine embroidery and the ability to draw with stitch. Her interest in photography and the manipulation of photos expanded to printing digital images on fabric.
 
Jenny is also often inspired by the self-made tapestry of patterns formed in nature. “I want to expose a different view by enhancing the details of texture, line, patterns and colour to highlight the unnoticed form.” Her process of exploration typically starts with the camera, combining the photos into collages with paint and different papers. Her textile work blends dyed and digital printed fabrics, free machine embroidery and embellishing techniques.
 
“For us, Locharburn is the realisation of our long-held dream. It gives both of us the opportunity to indulge in our love for wine and the lifestyle we chose for ourselves,” says Chris.

The Vineyard
 
Named for the Locharburn stream which the vines and their home overlook, the 14ha sustainability accredited vineyard is planted on north-easterly facing terraces near the top of Lake Dunstan in Cromwell Basin.
 
It is surrounded by panoramic alpine ranges. Towering directly behind the vineyard is Mount Pisa, to the east are the Dunstan ranges, and in the distance across the Upper Clutha River plateau you can see the beautiful St Bathans Mountains.
 
The unique microclimate of the terraces, Central Otago’s famed hot summers and long autumns let the grapes ripen slowly, yielding high-quality fruit with intense, complex flavours.

Carol Bunn, Winemaker for Locharburn  www.wineartisan.co.nz
 
Winemaker Carol Bunn was just a kid when one of Central Otago’s first vineyards was planted close to her parent’s Arrowtown farm, sparking her interest in viticulture.
 
Carol completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography and worked in resource management before making a career change in 1995, to get back to her farming roots.  She completed a postgraduate diploma in Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University in Canterbury, preparing for her new life in winemaking.
 
Carol started her winemaking career in Martinborough, gaining invaluable experience with Pinot Noir under the watchful eye of renowned winemaker Larry McKenna.  She completed vintages abroad in Oregon and France, and worked as a winemaker in Canterbury for three years.  In 2001, she started plying her craft back where she grew up in Central Otago, building a stellar reputation early on with the trophy-winning Pinot Noirs she crafted for Akarua Winery.  The Akarua Pinot Noir 2002 won Champion Pinot Noir and Champion Wine of the show at the prestigious Air NZ Wine Awards in 2003.
 
With her growing stature as “Queen of Pinot Noir” in the region, VinPro Ltd approached Carol in 2004 to set up, build and take the reins of their new contract winemaking facility in Cromwell.  In this capacity Carol worked with 18 different wine companies, including Locharburn, to craft their wines. Recently Carol left Vinpro to set up her own Winemaking Consultancy with business partner and twin sister Susan Cleaver. 
 
“My philosophy is to work in closely with my clients and liaise with them on vineyard canopy management techniques to help achieve the special unique characteristics and flavours of their vineyard.  That is the reason why I chose to set up my own business with a small select group of clients such as Locharburn,” says Carol.
 
We have been able to establish a fantastic relationship with Chris and Jenny Hill of Locharburn.  Our goals are the same, to produce high quality, consistent wine with the Locharburn terroir central to the wine story. I believe we are achieving and exceeding those goals now, creating remarkable single-vineyard wines-an experience worth having.”

Watch winemaker Carol Bunn http://bit.ly/cILztz
interview with Jason Bryant
on Wine Vault TV

Locharburn  Central Otago

Pinot Noir 2008

Sauvignon Blanc 2010