Bell Hill Vineyard produces incredible and rare wines – a must try for lovers of exceptional Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 

This tiny 2-hectare estate was founded by Marcel Giesen and Sherwyn Veldhuizen in 1995 after finding the perfect site – a north facing parcel on a limestone slope. Located in Waikari in North Canterbury at 250-300 meters above sea level this special site is on the edge of where viticulture is possible - in 2023 their entire production was wiped out due to inclement weather at flowering. 

From the limestone soils to the densely planted vines, Marcel and Sherwyn have modelled their vineyards and methods on the region they fell in love with - Burgundy. Their vineyards are planted at over 10,000 vines per hectare creating competition amongst the vines and significantly reducing yields. Viticulture has been organic with biodynamic practices since 2005 and certified organic since 2015. 

Grapes are hand harvested and vinified block by block. Some blocks of Chardonnay are whole cluster pressed while others are crushed before fermenting spontaneously in predominantly neutral oak barrels. The Pinot Noir sees a short cold maceration before fermentation (again using native yeasts) with some whole cluster before maturing in 100% new oak. All the wines mature in barrel for 12 months and a further 8 months in tank before bottling. They are then released three and a half years after bottling.