The Vineyards





The Vineyard at Eastern Peake sits on a high plateau 430 metres above sea level on the great dividing range.

The climate is marginal continental on volcanic weathered basalt grey loam soils. The vineyards were dry-grown for almost 20 years until recently. Climate change has affected the weather patterns, resulting in a lack of rain at the right time during the crucial moments of the season. Fortunately, the region sits above an underground artesian water system accessed via a bore; if needed, irrigation can be used.

Established with organic principles by default in the 80's, as chemicals were too expensive to purchase, conventional methods have been used on a soft approach up until 2006.

Regenerative farming then took place, transitioning to more sustainable farming, leaning on organics.

From 2013 onwards, organic methods have been the principal farming methods.

The future is all about healthy soils so that healthy vines can thrive on this land.

Winemaking is the relatively straightforward part — farming for the future is the true key to success.

Walsh Block

Long term friends Frank and Kerry Walsh founded their five acre Walsh Block in 1995. Successfully planting Pinot Noir, MV6 clone, with a second one acre block in 2003 of Syrah. This site always produces year in year out.

Walsh Block sits behind Eastern Peake on Coghills Creek Road with the same soil type as Eastern Peake, weathered basalt on grey loam.

Frank and Kerry can be found regularly at Eastern Peake sharing a glass!

Two Mile Hill

Karel Schaefer's four acre site, Two Mile Hill, is the result from a conversation starting back in 2015 about planting some vines to satisfy his thirst for Chardonnay.

Planting kicked off in 2017 under our guidance with Chardonnay being the first of three varietals. Riesling and Pinot Noir have now been established. Two Mile Hill is located seven kilometres from Eastern Peake, visible from our cellardoor on a clear day.

Flowering and harvest dates seem to be one or two weeks earlier than Eastern Peake.

Farming is shared between Karel & ourselves under our guidance.

The Chardonnay is planted on rich red volcanic soil with a south slightly west facing slope (clone i10V5)

Pinot Noir is planted on chocolate volcanic soil with a east west facing slope

Pretty exciting to see how this site develops with each new release!

Griffins Road

Griffins Road is more than just a vineyard, this site has a rich history here in Coghills Creek.

Just around the corner from Eastern Peake, this vineyard’s story began in the mid-90s when Norman encouraged close friends, Frank Walsh and Pat Griffin, to plant Pinot Noir on their remarkable sites. Pat, ever the visionary, also planted Chardonnay alongside his Pinot Noir, a decision that would later prove to be a very wise choice.

Pat Griffin’s vineyard is situated on Griffins Road, named after his family’s long-standing presence in the area. The land sits next to Griffins Hill, where the Griffins were among the township’s original farming families. The vineyard itself is positioned near the historic Myola vineyard, originally planted in 1862 by the passionate John Hawkins, whose legacy includes not only wine but also orchards and a role as a correspondent forThe Leadernewspaper. Sadly, the original vineyard disappeared in the years following Hawkins’ passing, possibly due to phylloxera or the challenges of the Great Depression.

Fast forward to the present, where Griffins Road Chardonnay makes a return to its roots after being last produced for Eastern Peake in the early 2000s. After Pat Griffin’s passing in the early 2000s, ownership of the site changed hands for around 15 years. The new owners were in touch with Owen and a long standing lease formed. Owen has rejuvenated the site under organic and regenerative farming practices. With deep red volcanic loam soils transitioning into grey and chocolate over weathered basalt at an altitude of 440m, this block of Chardonnay—established in 1995 with Clone I10V5—promises to produce wines with incredible depth and character.

We intend to honour the history of the land and its previous stewards, while looking forward to creating a sustainable future for this extraordinary site.