The Soils

Our soils are derived from Cambrian period basaltic rock of 500/600 million years age. They are quite rare in the world because of their great age, particularly in Australia. Here in Heathcote they are unusually deep (up to 4 metres), rusty red coloured, well drained, gravelly loams on undulating hillsides, with good moisture retention capabilities. Occurring in a narrow, non-contiguous strip between two North/South running faults, they are typically only a few hundred metres wide. The faults give rise to a complex mineralogy within the soils.



Soil organic matter is high, allowing great bio-diversity in micro flora and fauna, supporting large earthworm populations – highly beneficial for natural soil fertility.


No synthetic chemicals have ever been applied to the soil or vines; the vineyards are totally organic; no insecticides, no herbicides, no synthetic fungicides and no artificial fertilisers. We produce our own organic compost for vineyard dressing.


The soil surface is either covered in mulch derived from vine prunings, leguminous cover crops and native grasses, or is lightly cultivated occasionally, with aeration, using lightweight 4WD tractors to minimise soil compaction.

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