QUICK FACTS

• First planted in 2000 (23 years old in 2023).
• Our northern Peninsula, ‘Down-The-Hill’ vineyard in the Moorooduc/Tuerong region.
• Our flattest – average slope is 1° – and our lowest vineyard with a maximum elevation of 72m.
• Since replantings in 2012 now 100% Pinot Noir.
• MV6 (and sometimes 115 and 777) from either D or F Blocks provide the fruit for the Coolart Road Pinot Noir.

HISTORY

More than 95% of this vineyard was planted with Pinot Noir in 2000 and 2001, the first vintage was 2005. In 2008 Ten Minutes by Tractor purchased half of the vineyard and used fruit for the first time under our label in 2009.

In 2012 small plantings (1.82ha) of white varieties (Riesling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc) were removed from two blocks and replaced with Abel and Pommard clone Pinot Noir.

With the vines now at maturity we have released Single Vineyard Coolart Rd wines which represent a warmer style Pinot Noir from the north of the Mornington Peninsula.

Single vineyard Pinot Noirs from Coolart Road have been made in 2016, 2015 and 2013. In 2017 we acquired the remaining 50% of the vineyard and will operate our wine making activities from this site commencing 2018.

SLOPE & ELEVATION

Most of the vineyard is effectively flat with a very small slope to the east, though A Block, in the north west corner of the property, is slightly steeper and faces north.

SLOPE ORIENTATION

Most of the vineyard is effectively flat with a very small slope to the east, though A Block, in the north west corner of the property, is slightly steeper and faces north.

ROW ORIENTATION

All rows run north south

WIND

Wind breaks along the eastern boundary protect the vineyard from the strongest winds – the south easterlies that blow off Western Port Bay.

TEMPERATURE

Taking Pinot Noir harvest dates from our reference blocks as a proxy for temperature, Coolart Road is our warmest vineyard followed by Wallis then Judd and McCutcheon. This we would expect – Coolart Road is the lowest followed by Wallis then Judd and McCutcheon is the highest. And of course it is never that simple, there are specifics in each reference vineyard that effect the averages…

• Judd Pinot Noir is the earlier ripening 115 clone; Coolart Road, McCutcheon and Wallis are the later ripening MV6.
• Judd and Coolart Road Pinot Noir is on hybrid rootstock; McCutcheon and Wallis are on their own; the rootstocks on Judd and Coolart Road contribute to a short vegetative cycle.
• Judd faces due west, McCutcheon due east; Coolart Road and Wallis are flatter with a slight northerly aspect. Wallis is close to Bass Strait and exposed to cooler breezes from there.

19 Year Average Pinot Noir Harvest Dates…

• Coolart Road (A Block MV6, altitude 69m) 7 March (10 year average)
• Wallis (Middle Block MV6, altitude 128m) 27 March
• Judd (Creek Block 115, altitude 163m) 28 March
• McCutcheon (Ridge Block MV6, altitude 201m) 2 April Harvest differences (days)…

SOIL

The soils here are very different to the red ferrosols common to the Main Ridge sub-region. Soils in the lower northern part of the Peninsula are largely sedimentary from the Tertiary period and the dominant soil types are brown and yellow chromosols. Chromosols (also know as duplex soils) are defined as soils that have a strong texture contrast between the loamy surface (A) horizons and the clayey upper subsoil (B2) horizon.

These are very broad soil classifications and we are continuing to investigate the more specific details in each vineyard, in fact, each block.