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Englishman Julian Johnsen, a director and farm manager, has been nurturing these lands with their 40-hectare vineyards for over six years. There’s been a notable swing to ‘biological’ farming recently with promising trials currently in progress in certain vineyard blocks. An innovative approach is using compost teas instead of fungicides with carefully monitored results which have been successful so far.
This holistic approach includes strict vineyard management and practices like suckering and green harvesting in the younger vineyards. The older vineyards, which include Sauvignon Blanc planted in 1983 and Chenin Blanc in 1986, have come into perfect balance over the years. Crop yields range between six to eight tons per hectare.
A favourable factor when it comes to the quality of the grapes is the cooling southwesterly winds which blow in every afternoon from the nearby Atlantic Ocean and keep temperatures around five degrees cooler than several nearby appellations. Soils range from granite-derived on the slopes to alluvial on the valley floor. Irrigation is rarely required.
Cool southwesterly slopes and decomposed granite soils with moderate vigour are the perfect environment for growing Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc wine grapes. The more alluvial soils are best suited to Chardonnay and Viognier.
The red vines are all planted on southwest- and east-facing slopes in well-drained Tukulu and Oakleaf soils, which have a high content of organic matter, promote root development and high vigour, and are suitable for dryland production.
Varietal plantings
There’s a 50/50 red to white varietal ratio with a distinctly Mediterranean slant when it comes to more recent plantings.
White wine varieties: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Muscadel, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier
Red wine varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Grenache Noir, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Shiraz |
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