Vineyards & Viticulture

The main blocks are on North and West facing slopes and have excellent drainage. The ‘Triangle’ block is a unique terroir experiment in which the topsoil was removed and later replaced with the addition of 250 tonnes of limestone rubble. After replacement of the topsoil the block was ploughed and close planted with Pinot Noir on a 10,000 plant per hectare grid (one metre separation). The Chenin Blanc block is planted at the western edge of the property on a more alluvial site with North-South rows. The prevailing weather is West to Southwest during winter with warmer northerly winds during the ripening season. Annual rainfall is 600-700mm and significant hailstorms are rare.

The soils are gradational residual and colluvial soils developed from Devonian age marine sedimentary rocks deposited in the Palaeozoic era 350-410 million years ago. The thin organic rich topsoil is underlain by a silty loam 20-30cm in depth, lying atop a 10cm layer of residual gravel. Beneath this lies a mottled yellow/red zone rich in clay and mineral nutrients deposited by the illuviation process (rainwater seepage), a common feature of old soils. The soil pH is low and the upper silt layer is grey in colour.

Pimpernel Estate is one of the few dry-grown (non-irrigated) vineyards in the Yarra Valley – a vital component in our pursuit of excellence. Each vine is individually monitored and tended by hand. The vines are pruned back hard to promote low fruit sets, whilst maintaining a strong, vigorous canopy that protects the fruit from sun exposure.

Following harvest, an organic crop is planted in the inter-row spaces to provide nutrients and aid moisture retention. These crops are then slashed, and along with all grape and vine matter from the previous season, are ploughed back into the soils in a sustainable cycle of replenishment.

These practices of non-irrigation, rigorous hand-pruning, and inter-row crop farming foster healthy vines that delve deep into the subsoils, producing low yields of intensely flavoured fruit with plentiful natural acidity. The yield of the estate is low, averaging 1.5 tonnes to the acre.