GOLDEN BALL PROPERTY
ORIGINAL VINEYARD
- 4.5 acres (2 hectares) 1996
- Chardonnay (grafted in 2014 from Shiraz)
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Malbec
- first vintage 2002
- rows run Northeast/Southwest
- slight Northwest facing, gentle slope
- planted on deep decomposed granite and light clay
- 800 mm cordon height
- loose VSP canopy (vertical shoot position)
LINEAGE VINEYARD
- 3.5 acres (1.5 hectares)
- Planted 2005
- Close planted unicordon
- Shiraz
- Savagnin
- Cabernet Sauvignon (not producing)
- Petit Verdot (not producing)
- Sagrantino (not producing)
- 800 mm cordon
- North/Northwest facing, granite buckshot site
- Rows run up steep hill facing North/Northwest
- loose VSP canopy (vertical shoot position)
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
In September 2005 we began planting three acres of a six acre site to Shiraz, on a north/north west facing slope.
In 2009, half an acre of Savagnin, a white French variety. Spring 2010, some Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Sagrantino. The new varieties on this slope should do very well and suit the micro-climate. There are no CCA (copper-chromium-arsenate) pine posts used, only railway iron and red box/Murray pine plantation timber. This vineyard will be organically principled to begin, and then the biodynamic ethos introduced.
Since July 2010 we have been producing our own electricity, through a five kW solar grid feed system.
In December 2013 we grafted some original vines to two excellent Burgundian Chardonnay clones. The grafts have annealed very well. The excellent cool site has produced our first Golden Ball Chardonnay for the 2015 vintage.