The Vineyard

The Five Sons Estate vineyard , at the foot of Red Hill, has one of the best viticultural locations on the Mornington Peninsula. The gentle north facing slopes combined with a sheltered position have proved ideal in capturing sunlight and retaining warmth during the growing season.

With pinot noir being the predominant variety planted, a mix of five clones was used to achieve maximum complexity for the wines. The four clones of chardonnay were selected for the same reasons. Plantings of pinot gris, shiraz and cabernet round out the varieties grown.

The various idiosyncrasies of the varieties (and clones) and the soils they occupy make this vineyard a challenge to run but the results are worthwhile. The pinots and chardonnay are all grown on a simple VSP (vertical shoot positioning) trellis and cropped low at around five tonne per hectare. The shiraz and cabernet are both grown on a Smart-Dyson trellis to reduce vigour and increase sun exposure. These are cropped lower still at around two tonne per hectare.

The aim in the vineyard is to keep things as simple as possible – viticulture creates its own complications even without human interference. The dedicated and experienced vineyard team understands and appreciates this and work to maximize the opportunities and minimize the risks. They begin with pruning to determine the crop load followed by selective shoot thinning to set up the canopies for maximum photosynthetic activity and reduced disease potential. During the growing season the canopy management is a major component of the year’s work. Finally crop thinning after fruit set is carried out to bring the crop levels to a state of balance that will deliver the best possible fruit. The red varieties also have the leaves from around the fruit selectively plucked to encourage good colour development.

The hands-on approach helps to reduce chemical inputs and produce the best possible fruit with which to make outstanding wines. It is true that great wine begins in the vineyard and the Five Sons Estate approach reflects this belief.