As there were no grapes to be seen on the Auntsfield land when Graeme and Linda Cowley bought the property in the 1990's, they did not realise that they had purchased Marlborough's very first vineyard, which had been established in 1873 by David Herd – New Zealand's founding winemaker! Herd's son-in-law continued his legacy until 1931, but then Auntsfield reverted to a sheep station, and remained as such until the Cowley's replanted. Herd's original cellar, in which he used to make and store his first wines, was discovered hidden away on the property, and a depiction of this can now be seen on some of the Auntsfield labels. Now, Auntsfield is second generation, and in the hands of Graeme and Linda's sons; Ben, the General Manger and viticulturist, and Luc, the winemaker. The Auntsfield estate lies in Marlborough's Southern Valleys sub-region. This is a cooler and drier area which is regarded for its riper, mineral style of wine. Auntsfield have a 65 hectare single vineyard, separated into over 50 small distinctive blocks where Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are planted on soil which has been shaped by glaciers over ten thousand years, and the ancient Greywacke rock and Loess clay soils imbue each individual parcel of fruit with the unique expressions of the physical characteristics of the land. Auntsfield is truly an authentic estate, carrying on the proud heritage of Marlborough's first vineyard - a place where history is alive, both in the land and in the wine!