As with all great wine, much of it comes down to obtaining the best fruit possible. As such we search exhaustively to identify and purchase ultra-high quality grapes from favourably located vineyards. We work with the growers in order to establish a strong relationship with them and their vineyards and fruit. These relationships are of key importance to delivering a constant high level of quality in all of our wines across the years.
In terms of what areas we source our fruit from; we look for specific sites within what we see as the best of the Margaret River subregions. I am a firm believer that the area of greatest potential for producing outstanding Margaret River wines is the Wilyabrup subregion.
The maritime influence here is most pronounced, in particular upon the temperature and humidity as the majority of the vines located within 5 km from the Indian Ocean. This, combined with the predominant presence of the gravelly Forest Grove soils and the oldest vines of the area produces what I believe are the best Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay fruit in the area.
From the Wilyabrup subregion we source the bulk of our Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. We also harvest all of our Merlot and Petit Verdot and a portion of the Nebbiolo from here. These grapes are grown by some of the oldest and most respected producers in the whole of the Margaret River region.
The Viognier and the remainder of the Cabernet Sauvignon come from a tiny, north facing, meticulously manicured vineyard in the Walcliffe subregion, around 4km from the Indian Ocean and on the banks of the Margaret River itself.
The final small parcels of Chardonnay, Marsanne and Nebbiolo come from perhaps the most southern of vineyards in the district, in the far south of the Karridale Subregion, from a famous vineyard set up by one of the pioneers of Australian wine making and viticulture. A testament to the man’s belief in the area and constant search for knowledge, the vineyard is planted with 36 different varieties! A far cry from most Australian vine growers. This southerly vineyard is 11km east of Boranup Beach and the Indian Ocean, and only 13km north of Flinders Bay and the far cooler Southern Ocean. With temperatures significantly lower than the central and northern subregions, harvest of the same varieties is typically 2-4 weeks after the northern subregions.