the vineyard
High above the King Valley between Wangaratta and Mansfield in northeast Victoria, Baxendale’s Vineyard occupies most of a remnant portion of plateau deriving from a tertiary lava flow originating near Tolmie, to the south. It comprises moderate to steep slopes, facing north and east and varying in altitude between 560 and 620 metres above sea level. At this elevation, daytime temperatures are typically 2- 3˚C cooler than the adjacent valley floor. This enhances flavour development and acid retention. The sloping topography eliminates frost danger and favourable air movement across exposed slopes allows minimal use of fungicides.
The dark red soil is free draining, iron-rich and high in organic matter. The depth of topsoil and the open texture of subsoil allow the vines to develop large root systems. The retention of available moisture in this soil type, along with reliable winter and spring rainfall, means that irrigation is usually not required for mature vines.
Close vine-spacings and vertical shoot-positioning of the leaf canopy ensure that photosynthetic activity is maximised and that grapes ripen evenly and completely. All plantings are hand-pruned to an arched-cane system on a trellis designed by Jim Baxendale in the mid 1980s.
The east-facing Chardonnay block was planted to the highly regarded Penfold 58 clone in 1995. The steep, north-facing Cabernet Sauvignon block was planted the same year with cuttings from a small planting established by Jim’s father Alec Baxendale in the early 1970s on the original Wirra Wirra vineyard at McLaren Vale (this pre-dated formal clonal selection and identification). East- and north-facing blocks of Pinot Noir were planted in 1999, 2000 and 2001 using the MV6 clone and Bernard clones 114 and 115.
All of the grapes for Baxendale’s Vineyard wines are hand-picked from the most flavour-intense portions of each block. At this stage, these are very small portions of the entire production, the balance of which is sold to larger companies under long-term contracts.