Viticulture & Winemaking

Oakey Creek is at the southern end of Pokolbin. The surrounding land consists of alluvial sand-based soils are where Semillon grows best due to abundant sub-soil water availabilty and high mineral content. This particular vineyard was planted over 70 years ago, is hand picked and basket pressed. Cool fermentation in stainless steel followed by six months of post ferment lees contact has produced an aromatic and complex Semillon.

Fruit for this wine is from a small plot of ours planted in 1990 and a vineyard just to the north of similar age, planted on alluvial sand over yellow clay. Dry-grown & hand picked, the whole bunches are basket pressed. Fermentation is done with indigenous local yeast in 500 & 300 litre French oak barrels. Maturation lasts for 6-9 months on full lees solids for flavour complexitiy and texture.

These two white Northern Rhone varieties are a perfect compliment for white wine blending. Marsanne is particularly flavoursome with bold aromatics and generosity while Roussanne is the more elegant & structured sibling. Hand harvested and basket pressed directly to new & 1 year old French oak, fermented and matured for 7 months prior to bottling.

Fruit for the Old Pokolbin Vineyard Shiraz is from the Maluna Vineyard, planted in 1968 by the Maxwell family. At an elevation of 250 metres, it faces north east on dark brown clay loam soils mixed with limestone and sea fossils. Low yielding, at around 1.5 tonnes per acre, this vineyard makes a Shiraz that is generous, complex and elegant. After fermentation & pressing, the wine matures in 300 & 500 litre French oak barrels for 16 months.

The intial plantings of DJP Shiraz at Chateau Pato were in 1981 on volcanic red clay loam over limestone. Vine cuttings were sourced from select vineyards in the valley known historically for their high quality. The vineyard is dry-grown with the vines producing around 1 tonne of fruit per acre which ultimately results in a wine that is both complex & balanced. Malo-lactic fermentation & maturation is in 600 litre French demi-muids for 16 months prior to bottling. DJP has always been a single vineyard wine.