02 / Our Region · Wilyabrup
Place of red ochre.
Our home vineyard sits in the middle of Wilyabrup, the heart of the Margaret River wine region.
Wilyabrup is an Aboriginal word meaning “place of red ochre”. You can see why the moment you pick up a handful of our soil: free-draining red gravel, ancient and complex, and some of the best ground for growing wine anywhere in Australia.
A little history
Mapped in 1967.
In the 1960s soil scientist Dr John Gladstones surveyed this corner of Western Australia and saw what it could become. In 1967 he mapped the Wilyabrup appellation, and our home vineyard sits right in the middle of it.
A year later, in 1968, Dr Tom Cullity planted Margaret River's first vines a few kilometres from our block. The road our vineyard sits on carries his name: Tom Cullity Drive.
Climate and soil
Ocean air. Ancient ground.
Margaret River is often called the Bordeaux of the south, and Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon above all, are what it does best. The climate is maritime: Indian Ocean breezes cool the vines in summer and soften the winter, so frost stays away even on the coldest days.
Underfoot, the soils are ancient, complex and among the most fertile in the world. Here in Wilyabrup the red ochre gravel makes for free-draining, loamy ground that suits vines that have to work for their water, which is exactly how we like them.
Our second home
Up the road in the Swan Valley.
The Swan Valley is Western Australia's oldest wine region, about 20 minutes from the Perth CBD. Chenin Blanc has been grown here since 1829, and legendary winemaker Jack Mann showed it could be among the best wine in Australia.
It's home to our Chenin Blanc vineyard on West Swan Road and our second cellar door. That Chenin becomes Sweetness & Light, our 8.5% low-alcohol white.
“This is Noongar country, home to the Noongar people for tens of thousands of years.”
Wilyabrup at a glance
Good neighbours.
The heart of the appellation
Wilyabrup is home to some of Australia's finest wineries. Vasse Felix, Cullen and Howard Park are close by, and Ashbrook sits directly across the road.
Built for Cabernet
Ocean-cooled summers, frost-free winters and free-draining gravel. It's why our Cabernet and Shiraz come from Jack Mann clone cuttings and why we never irrigate.
Food and wine on one road
Our cellar door sits inside Providore, a few hundred metres from The Margaret River Chocolate Company. Make a day of it.
