About

baxendale’s vineyard

Jim Baxendale is a third generation grape grower, with more than 40 years of experience in developing and managing vineyards in SA, NSW and Victoria. On the property where he grew up, which is now part of Wirra Wirra’s McLaren Vale vineyard, grapes have been grown continuously since 1893. After early experience in McLaren Vale vineyards and five vintages in Mudgee, Jim moved to Coonawarra, becoming vineyard manager of Wynns Coonawarra Estate in 1983.  

The same year he was joined by his partner Ruth Bearlin, who moved from Melbourne. They soon shared an aspiration to acquire land and develop their own vineyard. Experience in vineyards with such contrasting grape growing attributes as McLaren Vale, Mudgee and Coonawarra convinced Jim that finding the right site for a new project was paramount.

In the late 1970s and early ’80s a few Australian viticulturists became increasingly interested in developing a scientific basis for site selection. In particular, there was great interest in developing climate indices which might predict harvest dates and potential wine styles. Australian viticulture was starting to move into cooler regions with greater climatic similarity to the renowned wine regions of Europe. In Coonawarra Jim followed these developments and collected and analysed climatic data from Bureau of Meteorology recording stations.

From 1983, Jim and Ruth were looking for a high quality site with a Bordeaux-type temperature profile. The search, guided by topographical maps and climate statistics, covered sites scattered along the inland side of The Great Divide from Ararat to Glen Innes.  A tightened focus on central and northeast Victoria led to a move to Tahbilk in 1985. Three years later, after looking at more than 40 sites in the arc of the Divide between Daylesford and Beechworth, Jim was close to conceding failure, with Ruth suggesting that they might still be driving around back roads for decades, occasionally excited by a glimpse of red soil.

On the last weekend of May 1988 Jim finally came upon a site which not only met all of the viticultural criteria but also seemed a place of great beauty, with stunning views to the south and east across the King Valley and Victorian Alps, and to the Warby Ranges and Murray River plains to the north.  The 41 Ha block had not been advertised, but purchase soon followed the initial inspection, and by August the first vines were in the ground.

Almost every weekend and available holiday during the first decade was spent working in the vineyard, while Jim continued as vineyard manager at Tahbilk until 1993, and subsequently as chief viticulturist for Brown Brothers at Milawa. In 1997 Jim left Browns to manage Baxendale’s Vineyard full time.

Baxendale’s Vineyard has always been a family project, with three daughters, Rachel, Helen and Catherine all working in the vines from early childhood. Now in their thirties, Rachel, in Melbourne, and Catherine, in Sydney, contribute to marketing in the time they have available while pursuing other careers. We hope that our wines will be enjoyed on some of the livelier dinner tables around the nation.