WINEMAKING

“great wines are made in the vineyard”

“as winemakers we are mere shepherds, there to guide fruit along the vinification path and only intervene on what nature has intended, if necessary”.

We are committed to nurturing a style that allows for the vineyard to showcase a unique expression character that truly reflects each individual micro-climate.

Barossa Valley soils are millions of years older than many iconic wine regions of the world, ranging from alluvial on the valley floor through to shallow rocky outcrops of the Eden Valley high country.

In fact, the valley is home to the oldest continuously surviving Shiraz and Grenache vines in the world. When the lethal phylloxera disease decimated parts of Europe and the East coast of Australia in the late 19th century, Barossa Valley was spared due to its remoteness and isolation.

This is quite a unique grape growing region consisting of two distinctively different viticultural environments. Barossa Valley (warm climate) and Eden Valley (cool climate), which makes for very interesting and complex wines of various character across the district.

Many vineyards in this region are steeped in rich history and have remained in the same families for up to seven generations of German and English descendants dating back 175+ years. Like those before them, many growers believe to be only custodians of the land and carry a deeply inherent responsibility to maintain these sites before handing them on.

Sustainability through a balanced environment is important to us and we source fruit from selected growers and vineyard sites across the district that preference the adoption of organic and even bio-dynamic fundamental best practice, although we unashamedly will not be shackled by ensuring certification as we ultimately target consistent quality which requires embracing proven technology at times that may not yet fit the rigid parameters set out for qualification.

Vinification process is genuine hand-crafted winemaking based on the fundamentals of minimal intervention. We bring together oak and stainless fermentation vessels positioned so wine transfers are a gentle gravitational pull (no pump) into a basket press that facilitates a traditional slow and gentle extraction of colour and tannins.

Extended maturation periods allow for the wines to mellow and soften naturally in quality French & American oak barrels to integrate subtle nuances of wood complexity. With patience we naturally clarify our wines with minimal fining or filtering prior to bottling, which we believe rewards with a true reflections of flavour.

We aim for flexibility in our style so we can focus on producing quality wines that show purity of fruit and balance that reflect the vineyard site. Although we believe sometimes there is a need to be super concentrated in fruit flavours, we ultimately like to achieve a balance of structure with tannins and acidity across our wines so as they appear alive and vibrant.