Philosophy
GREAT WINE STARTS IN THE VINEYARD
We believe great wine is grown in the vineyard, and it all starts with terroir. As a single estate producer, our drive for quality is supported by our focus on terroir-driven cultivation & wine making; and precision viticulture, regenerative practices & sustainability.
Our vineyard site selection was driven by finding a ‘terroir’ similar to our ancestral homeland in Burgundy, which is over 300km from the coast with cool, continental climates, and limestone-enriched, shallow alkaline soils.
SOIL
450 million years ago, Rylstone was a coastline. Our vineyard is located on an ancient rich coral reef – similar to most of France’s wine regions on the ancient Paris Basin coastline. The result is an exceptionally pure layer of limestone near the surface, which over the millennia has enriched the shallow sandy-loam top soil making it alkaline.
CLIMATE
Our vineyard location is 150km inland producing a continental climate with large intra-day temperature variation. High elevation & poor heat retention from sandy-soils on limestone produce one of the coolest micro-climates in Australia, enabling extended grape ripening, balanced sugar & acidity, and enhanced skin development.
VINES
Our north-facing single-vineyard estate is planted with 55hectares of vines (100,000+ vines), producing c. 350 to 400 tonnes of grapes annually. Our main grape varietals are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Shiraz, Semillon, & Viognier.
WINE MAKING
Our winemaking is a blend of traditional French and contemporary Australian styles producing boutique wines that are elegant, vibrant, complex, food-friendly and capable of sustained bottle development over time. Our range includes Sparkling, Whites, Rosé, Red & Sweet wines.
To understand how different we are to other Australian wine growing regions in both micro-climate and soil profile, Explore Our Terroir
TERROIR-DRIVEN CULTIVATION & WINE MAKING
Like the French, we believe great wine is grown in the vineyard. We continue to undertake extensive research to truly understand our terroir. Why is this important? The vineyard management practices and clone selection required for our ultra-cool climate alkaline terroir are significantly different to those required for the more acidic terroir profiles in most Australian growing regions. In recognition of this, we invest in research and experimentation to develop and refine our approaches to soil nutrition/microbiology/ balance. We judiciously introduce new technology and analytics to continuously improve our vineyard management practices, operational approaches and wine-making specifications to better suit our unique combination of cool climate conditions and alkaline soil profile.
PRECISION VITICULTURE, REGENERATIVE PRACTICES & SUSTAINABILITY
Our terroir and vines are the lifeblood of our wines, so we actively care for the environment in which they are situated so they remain healthy for generations to come. Both low tech and high tech approaches are playing their part in our precision viticulture and sustainability journey.
We continuously improve our approaches and judiciously introduce new technology across all aspects of grape and wine production to support our enduring focus on raising the quality bar for grape cultivation, sustainably managing our natural resources, and nurturing our vine and soil health.
We are a member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, the Australian wine industry’s sustainability program; and are enrolled in the Freshcare Environmental Viticulture program.
OUR REGENERATIVE & SUSTAINBLE PRACTICES
Regenerative, rather than just sustainable or organic, agricultural techniques, including:
- green manure from beneficial blends of 8 prescribed native grasses & legumes in midrows, which also rebuilds soil structure
- we do not till our soils, protecting soil structure, improving water holding capacity and capturing carbon dioxide in undisturbed active root systems
- we undervine mow rather than use harsh herbicides to control weeds and improve undervine airflow
- we create our own bio-char from pruned canes
- we utilise biological (organic rated) rather than chemical sprays
Bio-suppression for pest management, including:
- predatory wasps to eliminate bugs and pests, including borers
- beneficial micro-organism applications via drones to control blister mites
- insectariums that harbour natural insect predators like Lacewings and Ladybirds.
- we make our own beneficial micro-organism cultures (e.g. lactobacilis) and apply to soils to naturally suppress harmful moulds and fungi.
Non-saccharomyces yeasts used during vintage to reduce the use of sulphur during grape harvest and winemaking
Bird Deterrence using Bird Beam Laser's dazzling laser system - a humane and non harmful deterrent for unwanted bird species. Beneficial species (Magpies, etc) have adapted to work with the laser system.
Reutilise packaging materials to minimise waste