2014 The Crater Rim Bendigo Terrace Pinot Noir, Otago

Our wines are produced from contracted sites carefully selected for their particular mix of varietal, topography, soil and microclimate – creating high quality, site-specific wines of individual character and drinkability.

This approach is styled on the negociant houses of Burgundy and the Rhone Valley in France, where the careful selection of non-estate-grown small parcels of fruit for winemaking is a long-held tradition. Attention to detail is key. We work closely with each grower to ensure that vines are cropped low and managed sustainably, guaranteeing the best quality fruit possible from each vineyard site. These are exceptional wines from exceptional regions.

Haydon Good is the winemaker and viticulturist for The Crater Rim. After an early career as a Mechanical Project Engineer for a stainless steel fabricator, he went on to study Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University.

Since then, he has travelled the wine world, working vintages in a number of new world and old world regions – including two in Martinborough for Julicher Estate, the Okanagan Valley at the highly acclaimed Quail's Gate, Grant Burge in the Barrossa and at Karl Joseph Loewen in the Mosel. Haydon worked as the winemaker for Stéphane Montez in the Northern Rhone valley for two years. During this time he practiced traditional winemaking techniques, which have become the basis of his winemaking philosophy.

Haydon's philosophy in the winery is based on creating wines of character and quality through a policy of watchful, non-interventionist winemaking. He uses a combination of new and traditional techniques and technology to allow the fruit to become wine. Haydon focuses on allowing the vineyard character to shine through to produce complete, balanced and unique wines – this is reflected in The Crater Rim's aim to produce a range of vineyard designated wines from each of the varieties and sites in our range.