The Vineyard - Ocean Aged Wines

The grapes for our Ocean Aged Vintage Cuvée are sourced exclusively from the Burder Family vineyard located in the Whitlands, a sub region of the King Valley in North East Victoria. The vineyard sits atop the Whitlands High Plateau, a thin escarpment that stretches for 12km between Mansfield and the King Valley. At 874m above sea level it’s Victoria’s highest altitude vineyard – perfect for the production of cool climate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Established in 1998, the vineyard is in its prime with grapevines consistently producing low yields of 3-4 tonnes/acre. The grapevines are closely planted at 1m spacings and cane arched pruned to provide an open and ventilated canopy throughout the growing season. The rows are orientated north-south with a gentle north-west facing aspect to maximise sunlight exposure.

Geographically, the soils are a deep volcanic loam over basalt. These ancient soils provide a favourable base for grapegrowing with a proportionate mix of sand, silt and clay sized particles providing perfect conditions for root growth and plant nutrition.

The annual rainfall is high at over 1000mm but falls predominantly in the winter months when snow is common. The growing season is considerably long, owing to the cool climate, which produces a complex flavour profile and high natural acidity. Budburst begins in September and harvest is typically late March/early April when the days are warm and the evenings cool.

At harvest, the grapes are picked by hand to ensure every bunch is critiqued for quality. The grapes are transported to the winery in 500kg picking bins and stored in a cool room at 2deg C for 24 hours before winemaking commences with whole bunch pressing.