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Our soils are derived from Cambrian age basaltic rock (500 million years).
Quite rare in the world and particularly in Australia, here they are unusually deep (4metre), red coloured, well drained, gravelly loams on undulating hillsides, but with good moisture retention.
They occur in a narrow, non-contiguous strip between two naturally occurring North/South faults and is typically only a few hundred metres wide. The faults give rise to a complex mineralogy.
Soil organic matter is high, allowing great bio-diversity in micro flora and fauna and supporting large earthworm populations - all beneficial for natural soil fertility. No synthetic chemicals have ever been applied to the soil or vines; the vineyards are totally organic; no insecticides, no herbicides, no synthetic fungicides and no artificial fertilisers. We produce our own organic compost for vineyard dressing.
The soil surface is either covered in mulch derived from vine prunings, leguminous cover crops and native grasses, or is lightly cultivated, with aeration. Minimal tillage is practiced, within and between vine-rows, using lightweight 4WD tractors to minimise soil compaction.
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