Bilancia

Hawke’s Bay

Bilancia is a boutique winery located in Hawke's Bay, established in 1997 by winemakers Warren Gibson and Lorraine Leheny. Both had a deep love of Italy and shared a dream of making their own wine. Work had taken them around the globe, but on returning to New Zealand, they realised that dream, calling their venture Bilancia, meaning, ‘balance, equilibrium and harmony’ - qualities which are carried through all aspects of their winemaking.

The estate's flagship vineyard, La Collina (meaning ‘the hill’ in Italian) is situated on the slopes of Roys Hill. This unique hillside vineyard is primarily planted with Syrah on its upper terraces, while the lower areas cultivate Chardonnay and Viognier. Their exceptional Pinot Gris, is made using fruit from other select Hawke's Bay vineyards.

Bilancia's La Collina Syrah is considered by many to be the greatest syrah in New Zealand, this is a true icon and one which will effortlessly stand the test of time.

Winemaker and Co-Founder

Warren Gibson

Warren is a distinguished winemaker with a career spanning over three decades. He has been recognised as New Zealand Winemaker of the Year and serves as a senior wine judge. His extensive experience includes numerous international vintages He has served as Chief Winemaker at Trinity Hill, and achieved international acclaim for their wines.

But beyond his prominent role at Trinity Hill, Warren also co-founded Bilancia, with his partner Lorraine in 1997, since which time it has been a labour of love for both of them.
Their 6 hectare site may be relatively small, but there are “probably 15 different grape varieties in the vineyard – it’s like a big garden” says Warren. And like a big garden, he’s constantly tendering, changing, interpreting, and experimenting, to make fabulous wines which are unique to Bilancia and Roys Hill.

The Balance of People and Place

Bilancia’s location is in New Zealand’s ‘fruit bowl’ not an accident. “We decided that if we were going to be making wine in New Zealand that we would come to Hawke’s Bay” says Warren. “It’s where we felt that we could make the wines that we thought we wanted to make”.

The area benefits from with long sunshine hours and a dry growing season, ideal for ripening Syrah and Chardonnay, whilst the cool nights help provide natural acidity and freshness.

Most of the grapes for Bilancia’s wines come from the terraced hillside vineyard ‘La Collina’; other grapes come from the Gimblett Gravels and a couple of other vineyard sources, with complementary characteristics. La Collina’s sunny north-facing slope is ideal for ripening. And the free-draining soils stress the vines, leading to low yields and concentrated flavours.