Mission Estate

Mission Estate - Birthplace of New Zealand wine

In 1838 a group of French Missionaries arrived in New Zealand and established a Marist Mission in the north of New Zealand. In 1851 a Mission Station was established in Hawkes Bay and vines were planted to produce both sacramental and table wine. A winery was soon to follow and the first record of a commercial sale of Mission Estate wines dates back to 1870 when a parcel of mostly dry red wines were sold.

As New Zealand’s oldest winery, Mission Estate has a longstanding reputation for producing award winning, quality wines. Their commitment is to consistently produce excellent value-for-money wines, using the best of old-and new-world winemaking techniques. This ensures that Mission Estate continues to be one of the most established and highly regarded producers in New Zealand.

Mission has never lost sight of its French heritage as over the years Brothers of the Order have traveled to France to study and learn viticulture and winemaking skills. Mission winemaker, Paul Mooney was originally trained by the Mission Fathers and has been with Mission Estate for over 30 years.

It is Mission Estate’s belief that sustainable winegrowing is an environmental management system that will ensure the protection of their land, environment, people and nation. By farming sustainably it will also ensure consistent premium fruit production. Mission Estate is also a leader in producing wine in the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly manner possible. In 2007 Mission Estate remodeled their winery to make it the largest sustainable winery in New Zealand.

Established: 1851
Acreage: 368
Winemaker: Paul Mooney
Yearly Production: 80,000 Cases

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Mission Estate Varietals

Mission Estate

Mission Estate Tasting Notes

Mission Estate Chardonnay 2009

Region: Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Winemaker: Paul Mooney

Viticulture: The fruit for this wine was sourced from vineyards in Hawke’s Bay; including the Gimblett Gravels, Taradale, Dartmoor, Ohiti Road and Patangata in Central Hawke’s Bay. The clones for this wine were predominantly Mendoza and Clone 15. The low crops carried on these clones of around 3 tonnes per acre and the warm summer sun gave us fruit with good maturity and flavor.

Winemaking: The grapes were crushed and pressed to create a style of wine with low extraction. Hard pressings were excluded from the blend. The light oak is well integrated flavors from using different yeast strains during fermentation giving extra complexity. After fermentation the wine spent 12 months on the yeast lees to further integrate the oak and add creaminess to the palate. 30% of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation.

Tasting Notes: The aging on yeast lees has given a soft style that is elegant and well structured. The nose has a slightly smoky toasty aroma. The palate is full with soft mouth feel and fine flavors in the mid palate. They are reminiscent of stone fruit and citrus with subtle vanilla undertones from the oak. The fresh finish is clean and persistent.

Technical Details: Alcohol 13.5%
Residual Sugar 1 g/l

Tasting Note Print Version

Mission Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Region: Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Winemaker: Paul Mooney

Viticulture: The fruit for this wine was grown predominantly in vineyards on Ohiti Road and Church Road. Light leaf plucking around the bunches was employed for flavor development in the fruit. The bulk of the fruit from the inland site of Ohiti Road contributes a full round flavor with passion fruit and gooseberry aromas. The Church Road grapes have flavors in the herbaceous, lemon-citrus fruit spectrum. Crop loads were down 40% in 2011 to around 6-7 tonnes per hectare giving fruit with an intense flavor profile.

Winemaking: The grapes were crushed and pressed with minimal skin contact. Yeast strains specifically developed for Sauvignon Blanc were used to conduct the fermentation. The one we have predominantly used has good characteristics, giving fine aroma and fullness in the mouth, especially after aging on the lees. Fermentation temperature was 17˚C.

Tasting Notes: The color is pale straw. The bouquet has gooseberry, passion fruit and grapefruit aromas. In the mouth the wine is crisp and textural from the aging on the lees. The palate has a full varietal impact and the intense fruit on the mid-palate leads to a dry, clean finish. This is a stylish wine with character and complexity.

Tasting Note Print Version

Mission Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Region: Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Winemaker: Paul Mooney

Viticulture: The fruit for this wine was grown predominantly in vineyards on Ohiti Road, Church Road and Mangatahi. Light leaf plucking around the bunches was employed for flavor development in the fruit. The bulk of the fruit from the inland site of Ohiti Road contributes a full round flavor with passion fruit and gooseberry aromas. The Church Road grapes have flavors in the herbaceous, lemon-citrus fruit spectrum.

Winemaking: The grapes were crushed and pressed with minimal skin contact. Yeast strains specifically developed for Sauvignon Blanc were used to conduct the fermentation. The one we have predominantly used has good characteristics, giving fine aroma and fullness in the mouth, especially after aging on the lees. Fermentation temperature was 17˚C. To achieve ideal balance and to avoid chemical de-acidification, 33% of the wine has undergone MLF. This is in line with our policy of minimal intervention in the winemaking; we wish to make natural wines with little or no residues from viticulture or winemaking inputs. Wine is left on lees for over 5 months to improve flavor and finish.

Tasting Notes: The color is pale straw. The bouquet has gooseberry, passion fruit and grapefruit aromas. In the mouth the wine is crisp and textural from the aging on the lees. The palate has a full varietal impact and the intense fruit on the mid-palate leads to a dry, clean finish. This is a stylish wine with character and complexity.

Tasting Note Print Version

Mission Estate Merlot 2009

Region: Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Winemaker: Paul Mooney

Viticulture:Canopy vertical shoot positioned, cane and spur pruned. Extensive thinning (green harvest) prior to veraison to ensure crop loads were less than 10 tonnes per hectare. Extensive use of leaf plucking around bunch zone. Sustainable vineyard practices were used from accredited vineyards.

Winemaking: Crushed to fermenter and inoculated with yeast- fermentation initiated after 2 days. Pumped over once daily. Fermentation-approximately 7 days with temperature peaking at 30˚C. Post fermentation maceration: 14-20 days with no pumpovers. Malolactic fermentation following pressing. Maturation in tank to retain primary fruit characters. Sustainable produced with minimal environmental impact during production.

Tasting Notes: The wine has a bright vibrant color. The nose has aromas of plum sweet spice and dark berries. The palate is a full soft attack with generous fruit in mid palate. The wine finishes with fine soft tannins and lingering spicy fruit aromas.

Technical Details: Alcohol 14.4%
Acidity 4.5 g/L

Tasting Note Print Version

Mission Estate Syrah 2009

Region: Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Winemaker: Paul Mooney

Viticulture: Canopy vertical shoot positioned, cane and spur pruned. Extensive thinning (green harvest) prior to veraison to ensure crop loads were less than 10 tonnes per hectare. Extensive use of leaf plucking around bunch zone. Sustainable vineyard practices were used from accredited vineyards.

Winemaking: Crushed to fermenter and inoculated with yeast- fermentation initiated after 2 days. Pumped over once daily. Fermentation-approximately 7 days with temperature peaking at 30˚C. Post fermentation maceration of 19 days with no pump-overs. Maturation in tank to retain primary fruit.

Tasting Notes: Vibrant red and dark berry notes with some spicy black pepper overtones. Vibrant fruity palate showing soft tannins and good length. This wine has sufficient tannin and fruit to cellar for 3-5 years.

Technical Details: Alcohol 13.7% Acidity 5.0 g/L
Residual Sugar <1g/L
pH 3.69

Tasting Note Print Version

Mission Estate Syrah 2010

Region: Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Winemaker: Paul Mooney

Viticulture: Soil types: stony gravels and light silt phases requiring irrigation. Canopy management: shoot thinned and vertical shoot positioned. Bunch thinning:prior to veraison to one bunch per shoot. Crop loads:approx 8 tonnes per hectare. Harvest: April 21-28. Weather conditions: cool summer with warm dry autumn allowing long hang times on vines.

Winemaking: Crushed to fermenter and inoculated with yeast- fermentation initiated after 2 days. Pumped over once daily. Fermentation-approximately 7 days with temperature peaking at 30˚C. Post fermentation maceration of 19 days with no pump-overs. Maturation in tank to retain primary fruit.

Tasting Notes: Vibrant red berry notes with some spicy pepper overtones. Vibrant fruity palate showing soft tannins and good length.

Technical Details: Alcohol 12.6% Acidity 5.5 g/L
Residual Sugar <1g/L
pH 3.69

Tasting Note Print Version