Best of Both Worlds: Where the Adelaide Hills Meet McLaren Vale
Welcome to our family vineyard, which lies at the crossroads of two very distinct and different South Australian wine regions.
On one side, the Adelaide Hills roll away — higher, cooler, a little restrained. To the other, McLaren Vale stretches toward the coast — warmer, generous, full of character. We sit right on that fault line, but we haven’t fallen through the cracks. Instead, our vines are uniquely placed to soak up the best of both worlds and produce wines with poise and punch.
Because when it comes to Shiraz, those two regions speak very different dialects.
Adelaide Hills Shiraz is known for its finesse. Cooler temperatures stretch out the growing season, allowing flavours to build slowly and with precision. Lifted aromatics — white pepper, spice, blue fruit — sit over a tight structure and a line of acidity that gives the wine energy and length.
McLaren Vale, on the other hand, doesn’t hold back. It leans into richness. A Mediterranean climate with warmer days brings out darker fruit, chocolate and spice, carried on a plush texture that makes these wines immediately appealing.
Two styles. Both compelling. But rarely found in the same glass.
That’s where our vineyard comes in.
Perched over 1,100 feet above sea level, our site was chosen to explore Shiraz in a cooler climate — a nod to the Northern Rhône, where structure and savoury complexity take centre stage. But being where we are, we also feel the pull of McLaren Vale: warmth rising from the plains, the ocean visible on the horizon.
The result is a vineyard that doesn’t behave entirely like either region. It borrows from both. And that duality defines our two estate Shiraz wines: Dad’s Cut and Five Clones.
Dad’s Cut is the more classic expression — a pure reflection of the fruit, matured in older oak to let the vineyard speak. It carries Adelaide Hills freshness, but with real depth behind it. Blue fruits, spice, a savoury edge — all held together with quiet confidence.
Five Clones, meanwhile, leans into complexity. Smaller berries from the toughest, highest parts of the vineyard deliver concentration and intensity. The result is darker fruit, heady aromatics and layered spice, drawn together by fine tannins and carefully judged French oak.
Different wines, same place. Both shaped by the tension between elegance and power.
We don’t aim to make “Adelaide Hills Shiraz”, nor could we make “McLaren Vale Shiraz”. Those styles already exist, and they’re well defined. What interests us is what happens in between — when a vineyard sits at the crossroads and its fruit is allowed to speak.
We think that’s where the magic happens.
Because we get the best of both worlds — not side by side, but in the same bottle.
Bring something different to the table.
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