Norfolk Rise

Situated in the heart of the cool climate Mount Benson region in the greater Limestone Coast, the Norfolk Rise vineyard is planted on 180 hectares of rolling coastal hills. Founder Paul de Moor first came to Mount Benson in the late 1990’s and fell in love with the rugged coastline and windswept landscape, just three miles from the winery door. The average January (summer) mean temperature is only 68 degrees Fahrenheit, on top of which the southern ocean provides cool sea breezes that moderate vineyard temperatures.

Same as Coonawarra, the soil profiles are terra rossa over limestone, and shallow loam over calcrete. Vines were planted about eighteen years ago, with the first Shiraz release in 2004. (This particular wine has won many accolades of late, including “Best Shiraz of Show” across several shows for both 2015 and 2016 vintages.

Instead of chemicals, the winery practices a philosophy of protecting the vines from disease initially, rather than trying to control any disease after infection has occurred. Winemaker Alice Baker, working closely with head winemaker Jim Chatto, is a geologist who fell in love with winemaking. For Alice, “winemaking has so much more to offer in that it’s very scientific. There’s the connection to the earth and where the grapes are grown and climate”.