George Fistonich made his first wine in 1962 under the name Villa Maria wines with grapes harvested from the five acres of land his father gave him in Mangere, Auckland. He made dry red and white wines by sourcing grapes from the greater Auckland region. George expanded the villa maria wines business by employing the staff in the 1970s. At present, the Villa Maria winery employs more than 250 employees growing 28 different grape varieties, and exports wine to over 60 countries worldwide. It is through the hard work and dedication of all the employees that villa maria winery is New Zealand's most-awarded winery.

A near-perfect growing season led up to the 2020 harvest with fruit in pristine condition. The summer was dry with high sunshine hours during the day and the cooler nights that are typical for Marlborough. In 2020, Pinot Noir fruit was sourced from 2 key vineyard sites with deep clay-based soils in the Southern valleys sub-region within the Wairau valley contributing 72% of the blend. The remaining 28% came from the cooler Awatere Valley, both with free-draining windblown silt loess soils on opposite sides of the Awatere River. 14 months in French barriques followed by 5 months settling in a tank.