Penny's Hill: Vineyards

In the vineyard

Penny's Hill is committed to producing the very finest fruit from our Penny's Hill, Goss Corner and Malpas Road Vineyards. All vines are spur pruned by hand, vertically shoot positioned and trellised using a single cordon (except for some of the Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot on the Malpas Road Vineyard, where a double cordon is used.) Hand thinning occurs where necessary at veraison, especially with the Semillon and Grenache, two traditionally vigorous varieties.

We have a policy of minimal use of fertilizers on the vines. Petiole analysis each season identifies any deficiencies, which can then be corrected if necessary using organic based fertilizer. Pest and disease management is all about preventative measures and minimising the use of chemicals within the vineyards. We do use sulphur and copper as fungicides (also permitted by organic viticulture). We do not cultivate cover crops to protect and maintain the delicate soil structure. The yellow flowers ('soursobs' or oxalis pes caprae) occur naturally.

Our vineyard philosophy, championed by viticulturist, Toby Bekkers, is simple; to maximise the quality of our estate�grown grapes. We keep crops to a minimum, and our vines are carefully hand maintained.

Penny's Hill vineyard

The Penny's Hill Vineyard was planted on 80 acres (33 ha) of grazing land in the foothills east of McLaren Vale. Originally a grazing property, the land was purchased in 1988 by proprietors Tony and Susie Parkinson, and 45 acres (17.8ha) are now planted to vines.

Penny's Hill vineyard is planted to 5 acres (2.05 ha) of Cabernet Sauvignon, 21 acres (8.71 ha) of Shiraz, 17 acres (6.92 ha) of Chardonnay and 2 acres (0.81 ha) of Grenache. The vineyard was planted over five years between 1991 and 1996. The first planting was 4 acres (1.93 ha) of Shiraz in 1991, followed by another 13 acres (5.37 ha) of Shiraz adjacent to the original block in 1992. Planting continued with the Chardonnay in 1993, as well as the small block of Cabernet Sauvignon.

A further 3 acres (1.41 ha) of Shiraz ('The Dairy Block') was planted in 1996. The small block of Grenache was planted in the same year.

The Penny's Hill vineyards mark a departure from the standard McLaren Vale vineyard set up, comprising narrow plantings (2.2 metre row widths as opposed to the McLaren Vale standard of 3 metres) and high a density of vines per acre (1.5 metres in between vines as opposed to 2 metres). By reducing the amount of grapes each vine produces, (whilst maintaining the yields per acre) we increase quality.

The vineyard comprises mainly shallow soils with a heavy clay sub soil, which restricts the root zone and reduces vigour. The soils have poor water holding capacity generally. Overall the site is moderately windy, mainly as a result of the summer gully winds which arrive in the early evening, and this acts to de-vigorate the vines further. The site is a low vigour site with low fertility. Whilst McLaren Vale is noted for consistent climatic conditions, the slightly higher elevation (approximately 140 metres above sea level) of the Penny's Hill vineyard reduces temperature extremes in summer, which means even ripening and higher fruit quality.

The water monitoring system allows complete control over the water holding capacity of these soils - thus allowing us to control vigour, stress and ultimately the concentration of the fruit. Chardonnay and Shiraz are planted in East/ West facing rows, which allows for more constant sun exposure throughout the day. This is important during the ripening period.

Grenache is planted with 2 vines per panel. The vines are planted next to each other and the 'arms' are crossed over one another, to create root competition and make them 'work harder'. The Grenache is practically drygrown and as the vines get older, will not receive any irrigation during the growing season. Thinning occurs at veraison to counteract vigour. Cuttings were taken from very old non-clonal local stock.

Goss Corner and Malpas Road vineyards

The Goss Corner vineyard 26 acres (10.5 ha) and Malpas Road Vineyard 37 acres (14.5ha) is situated adjacent to the cellars near Willunga. Goss Corner vineyard is planted to 4 acres (1.66 ha) of Semillon planted in 1996, 4 acres (1.66 ha) of Shiraz which was planted in 1996 (grafted over Semillon in 2001) and 17 acres (7.17 ha) of Merlot, also planted in 1996.

The Malpas Road Vineyard is planted to 10 acres (3.95 ha) of Cabernet Sauvignon which was planted in 1990, 10 acres (3.87 ha) of Shiraz also planted in 1990, 4 acres (1.61 ha) of Merlot planted in 1991 and 13 acres (5.2 ha) of Chardonnay which was planted in 1991/ 1992.

There are two main soil types on the Goss Corner and Malpas Road vineyards. Black cracking clay ('Bay of Biscay') soils are shallow with a restricted root zone. They are over a calcium base, which combines to bind up nutrients making the soil relatively infertile. In summer as the soils dry out, the cracks that develop are big enough to actually break parts of the roots, which further reduces vigour. The Semillon is on this soil, as is some of the Merlot. There are also brown loam soils in these two vineyards, which are more fertile than the Bay of Biscay soils. They are deeper and promote increased vigour as a result of the increased fertility.

Winemaking philosophy

The team of Ben Riggs (maker) and Toby Bekkers (viticulturist) isolate different parts of the vineyard that produce grapes with distinctive characteristics. These different parcels are picked, fermented and barrel aged separately to provide the very best blending components to create the Penny's Hill wines. We call this 'mini appellation' approach 'footprinting' the vineyard, and our reserve wines will be sub�branded 'Footprint'.

One of the Shiraz Blocks on the Penny's Hill vineyard has shallow soils at the northern end of the vineyard, which produces tannic, deeply coloured wines. The soils become deeper, moving south, where the wine produced tends towards a more elegant and fruit-driven style. We make four and five picks in the Shiraz vineyards over different days, so we can keep these parcels separate from the vineyard to the winery. Our policy of footprinting enables us to continue the Penny's Hill philosophy of attention to detail from the vineyard, into the winery. We source our grapes from two very distinctly different sub-regions within McLaren Vale.

The Penny's Hill vineyard in the foothills is slightly elevated above the main valley floor on shallow soils, tending to produce earthy, tannic and more structural wines. The Goss Corner and Malpas Road vineyards are situated on the valley floor with flatter topography. Soils are heavier and generally more fertile, with a better water holding capacity. Overall the site is more vigorous and tends towards more fruit driven and fragrant styles. The resultant wines from these two sites provide us with subtly different styles to choose from when blending the final wines. We use only the very finest oak (predominantly French oak from four different coopers), as well as the best, well-seasoned American oak.

The reds finish their fermentation in barrel. A small proportion of the Chardonnay is barrel fermented and matured in oak, and whilst the Semillon is a fresh fruit driven style, a tiny percentage spends a short time in oak to add texture. We gently guide our wines every step of the way through the winery, to make wines of complexity, texture and interest.


	In the vineyard Penny's Hill is committed to producing the very finest fruit from our Penny's Hill, Goss Corner and Malpas Road Vineyards. All vines are spur pruned by hand, vertically shoot positioned and trellised using a single cordon (except for some of the Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot on the Malpas Road Vineyard, where a double cordon is used.) Hand thinning occurs where necessary at veraison, especially with the Semillon and Grenache, two traditionally vigorous varieties. We have a policy of minimal use of fertilizers on the vines. Petiole analysis each season identifies any deficiencies, which can then be corrected if necessary using organic based fertilizer. Pest and disease management is all about preventative measures and minimising the use of chemicals within the vineyards. We do use sulphur and copper as fungicides (also permitted by organic viticulture). We do not cultivate cover crops to protect and maintain the delicate soil structure. The yellow flowers ('soursobs' or oxalis pes caprae) occur naturally. Our vineyard philosophy, championed by viticulturist, Toby Bekkers, is simple; to maximise the quality of our estate�grown grapes. We keep crops to a minimum, and our vines are carefully hand maintained. Penny's Hill vineyard The Penny's Hill Vineyard was planted on 80 acres (33 ha) of grazing land in the foothills east of McLaren Vale. Originally a grazing property, the land was purchased in 1988 by proprietors Tony and Susie Parkinson, and 45 acres (17.8ha) are now planted to vines. Penny's Hill vineyard is planted to 5 acres (2.05 ha) of Cabernet Sauvignon, 21 acres (8.71 ha) of Shiraz, 17 acres (6.92 ha) of Chardonnay and 2 acres (0.81 ha) of Grenache. The vineyard was planted over five years between 1991 and 1996. The first planting was 4 acres (1.93 ha) of Shiraz in 1991, followed by another 13 acres (5.37 ha) of Shiraz adjacent to the original block in 1992. Planting continued with the Chardonnay in 1993, as well as the small block of Cabernet Sauvignon. A further 3 acres (1.41 ha) of Shiraz ('The Dairy Block') was planted in 1996. The small block of Grenache was planted in the same year. The Penny's Hill vineyards mark a departure from the standard McLaren Vale vineyard set up, comprising narrow plantings (2.2 metre row widths as opposed to the McLaren Vale standard of 3 metres) and high a density of vines per acre (1.5 metres in between vines as opposed to 2 metres). By reducing the amount of grapes each vine produces, (whilst maintaining the yields per acre) we increase quality. The vineyard comprises mainly shallow soils with a heavy clay sub soil, which restricts the root zone and reduces vigour. The soils have poor water holding capacity generally. Overall the site is moderately windy, mainly as a result of the summer gully winds which arrive in the early evening, and this acts to de-vigorate the vines further. The site is a low vigour site with low fertility. Whilst McLaren Vale is noted for consistent climatic conditions, the slightly higher elevation (approximately 140 metres above sea level) of the Penny's Hill vineyard reduces temperature extremes in summer, which means even ripening and higher fruit quality. The water monitoring system allows complete control over the water holding capacity of these soils - thus allowing us to control vigour, stress and ultimately the concentration of the fruit. Chardonnay and Shiraz are planted in East/ West facing rows, which allows for more constant sun exposure throughout the day. This is important during the ripening period. Grenache is planted with 2 vines per panel. The vines are planted next to each other and the 'arms' are crossed over one another, to create root competition and make them 'work harder'. The Grenache is practically drygrown and as the vines get older, will not receive any irrigation during the growing season. Thinning occurs at veraison to counteract vigour. Cuttings were taken from very old non-clonal local stock. Goss Corner and Malpas Road vineyards The Goss Corner vineyard 26 acres (10.5 ha) and Malpas Road Vineyard 37 acres (14.5ha) is situated adjacent to the cellars near Willunga. Goss Corner vineyard is planted to 4 acres (1.66 ha) of Semillon planted in 1996, 4 acres (1.66 ha) of Shiraz which was planted in 1996 (grafted over Semillon in 2001) and 17 acres (7.17 ha) of Merlot, also planted in 1996. The Malpas Road Vineyard is planted to 10 acres (3.95 ha) of Cabernet Sauvignon which was planted in 1990, 10 acres (3.87 ha) of Shiraz also planted in 1990, 4 acres (1.61 ha) of Merlot planted in 1991 and 13 acres (5.2 ha) of Chardonnay which was planted in 1991/ 1992. There are two main soil types on the Goss Corner and Malpas Road vineyards. Black cracking clay ('Bay of Biscay') soils are shallow with a restricted root zone. They are over a calcium base, which combines to bind up nutrients making the soil relatively infertile. In summer as the soils dry out, the cracks that develop are big enough to actually break parts of the roots, which further reduces vigour. The Semillon is on this soil, as is some of the Merlot. There are also brown loam soils in these two vineyards, which are more fertile than the Bay of Biscay soils. They are deeper and promote increased vigour as a result of the increased fertility. Winemaking philosophy The team of Ben Riggs (maker) and Toby Bekkers (viticulturist) isolate different parts of the vineyard that produce grapes with distinctive characteristics. These different parcels are picked, fermented and barrel aged separately to provide the very best blending components to create the Penny's Hill wines. We call this 'mini appellation' approach 'footprinting' the vineyard, and our reserve wines will be sub�branded 'Footprint'. One of the Shiraz Blocks on the Penny's Hill vineyard has shallow soils at the northern end of the vineyard, which produces tannic, deeply coloured wines. The soils become deeper, moving south, where the wine produced tends towards a more elegant and fruit-driven style. We make four and five picks in the Shiraz vineyards over different days, so we can keep these parcels separate from the vineyard to the winery. Our policy of footprinting enables us to continue the Penny's Hill philosophy of attention to detail from the vineyard, into the winery. We source our grapes from two very distinctly different sub-regions within McLaren Vale. The Penny's Hill vineyard in the foothills is slightly elevated above the main valley floor on shallow soils, tending to produce earthy, tannic and more structural wines. The Goss Corner and Malpas Road vineyards are situated on the valley floor with flatter topography. Soils are heavier and generally more fertile, with a better water holding capacity. Overall the site is more vigorous and tends towards more fruit driven and fragrant styles. The resultant wines from these two sites provide us with subtly different styles to choose from when blending the final wines. We use only the very finest oak (predominantly French oak from four different coopers), as well as the best, well-seasoned American oak. The reds finish their fermentation in barrel. A small proportion of the Chardonnay is barrel fermented and matured in oak, and whilst the Semillon is a fresh fruit driven style, a tiny percentage spends a short time in oak to add texture. We gently guide our wines every step of the way through the winery, to make wines of complexity, texture and interest.