OUR GROWERS

The Bush Vine Grenache was planted in 2007 and, like all our vines, is on own roots. This northeast-facing block is interesting in that it has a lot of ironstone in the surface profile mixed with the grey sand...it is a lot harder than it looks! Bush vine training is the go for this variety, and more than any other variety it loves to grow in Blewitt Springs.

The block of Shiraz that becomes the In Praise of Shadows Single Vineyard Shiraz has the deepest sand in the Springs Hill vineyard. It goes down a long way before you find gravel, making it a marginal site in dry years. Whilst always restraining vigour, it produces high quality fruit showing a strong expression of the lifted floral finesse that the Blewitt Springs sub region is renowned for. It was planted in 1999 and slopes towards the east.

The Mataro was planted in 2001 and faces east south east. The upper soil profile is varied and moves from the deeper sands of the Top Shiraz block across to the more stony surface of the Grenache block. Consequently, we can quite often pick and choose ripeness levels within the block to suit small tonnage requirements. An upright variety, it grows a long cane, and even though it can look a bit haggard at the end of the season, it gets the ripening job done, producing vibrant and flavoursome fruit of high quality.

The Smart vineyard is located in the Clarendon subregion of McLaren Vale, where three generations of the Smart family have devoted their life to Grenache. The dry grown Grenache bush vines, some 230 metres above the Onkaparinga River, were planted in 1921 by Frederick Alfred Smart, and are currently owned and managed by Fred’s grandson Wayne, following the passing of Bernard in 2023 at the age of 90.

The site is home to some of the oldest geology in the region, with 750-million-year old laminated grey and green siltstone underlying the ironstone and loam topsoils of the vineyard. Great attention and care are given to hand pruning the nearly 100-year-old vines, as well as to the timing of the hand picking, with fruit harvested at optimum ripeness and flavour profile according to the climate of the season.

The Grenache grown for I.P.O.S comes primarily from the block planted in 1971 by Bernard Smart, who tended the vineyard with the rare intimate knowledge that comes from 60+ vintages in a single vineyard. The canopy is raised slightly higher above the ground, allowing for better air circulation and increased radiated sunlight to support even ripening and reduced disease pressures, thus allowing minimal intervention grape growing.

Edgehill Vineyard is a certified organic vineyard sitting at the southern end of the McLaren Vale GI as the vineyards begin to climb into the Willunga ranges.

Originally planted in 1986, sections were grafted over to Touriga Nacional & Graciano (Tinta Miuda) in 2009 as McLaren Vale began its ascension to being the mecca for native Mediterranean grape varieties in Australia.

Single cordon rows run in a north - south orientation across the urbrea stony loam soil at 130 metres above sea level.