With its first vines planted in 1975, Rippon is one of the great pioneering estates of Central Otago. After working experimental vines for several years, Rolfe and Lois Mills began their work in earnest as winegrowers, planting the first full blocks in 1982 and producing Rippon’s first commercial vintage in 1989. Their son Nick grew up in the winery and among the vines. He honed his winemaking skills in France, notably at Domaine Albert Mann in Alsace, and Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron and DRC in Burgundy.
Heading up the estate since 2002, Nick Mills has continued and elevated his parents’ work at Rippon, cultivating mainly Pinot Noir and Riesling on the property’s schist terroir. The vines are managed biodynamically and organically, with thought to Nick’s responsibility as a fourth-generation farmer on the land, to future generations that will live and grow on the land, and, of course, to the quality of the wine that comes from such care and attention.
