Ghostgum Vineyard, situated on top of Main Ridge in Boon Wurrung Country, is one of the highest elevation vineyards on the Mornington Peninsula. Here we farm 5.5 hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on a gentle, east-facing slope.
The vineyard soils are red ferrosols – deep, friable, and porous red soils that can also retain enough water to avoid having to use irrigation. These soils are basalt derived where the odd ‘buckshot’ chunk of ironstone can still be found.
Our St. Andrews Vineyard is tucked away in the rolling hills of the Nillumbik Shire, Wurundjeri Country. Located in the in the northern part of the Yarra Valley, it sits around 240m above sea level. This vineyard has a multitude of aspects, soil types and clonal variation for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The soils are derived from ancient marine sediments. The weathering of this ancient basement has resulted in a thin veneer of skeletal duplex soils. A high proportion of bedrock fragments ensure excellent texture and a small proportion of clay provides just enough water holding capacity.
Our Yarra Junction site is 28km south of our Healesville winery, set among the luscious green hills of Yarra Junction. This part of the Upper Yarra is home to some of the highest elevation and coolest sites in the Yarra Valley. Here we will be planting out Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as small plantings of Nebbiolo over the coming two years.
The vineyard soils are best described as Kurusols – aka duplex soils with restrictive subsoils. The key attributes are their textural contrast: sandy loam over a heavier light–medium clay. These soils strike a great balance between providing vines the water and nutrients required while restricting their growth to achieve high quality grapes.