Situated 10km North of Hamilton, much further south of the Grampians, and with a distinctly cooler climate this is very marginal Shiraz ripening country. Always the last to be harvested (generally the last week of April to early May) it has to be cropped low in order to get proper ripeness, and the canopy opened and managed intensely to get it across the line. However the results are intense perfume, pepper and delicacy, with surprising texture from the cool climate. The wines display abundant but balanced acidity, and silkiness. The Dixon family farms Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Riesling on their 1991 planted block, and no effort is spared, shoot positioning, cane pruning, leaf removal and hand harvesting the norm. 2010 saw our first single vineyard bottling from this site, and I think there’ll be more to come.

Planted in the early 1980s, the Kingsley Vineyard was planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay and Riesling, but all has been removed now save a 1Ha block of original Riesling vines. Situated 10km north of Portland in the far southwest of the state, on Cobboboonee Basalt red soils, and spur pruned. 2011 was the first year we have taken the fruit, and even in a difficult vintage like that it still produced intense lime flavours and structure.

Another isolated block, this time 15 min inland from Port Campbell, the home of the famous 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Rd. The vineyard was planted by the Newtons in 1998 to 10 acres of Pinot Noir MV6 clone, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier and a little Shiraz. Soils are brown clay loams over limestone, and rainfall is high, eliminating the need for irrigation. This is a very cold site, Northeast facing and needs intense management to ripen adequately, so leaf removal and crop-thinning are necessary, but it is beginning to produce impressive Pinot Noir fruit with delicacy and perfume, and a caclaire quality not often seen in Aussie Pinot.