Planted on the north east facing slopes of the granite hills to the north of Canberra. The aspect is perfect in spring to warm the vines with the early morning sun and let the frosty pre-dawn air drain down the Nanima valley.
On a summers evening, the cool easterly breeze quickly drops the temperature of the bunches so extending the ripening period to create the delicate yet complex flavours that are the signature of the Canberra region.
Now in the hands of the second generation; Will Bruce was born with wine in his veins and mud under his finger nails. The combination of old vines, new blood and an enduring passion for growing premium cool climate grapes is producing wines of exceptional character.
I keep a close eye on the canopy management as the classic tight bunches of the pinot noir need good airflow and mottled sunlight. This lets the grapes evenly ripen and full development of lovely flavours of cherries, strawberries and soft silky tannins. Perfect when picked early for sparkling and then a week or two later for a lovely burgundian style red.
The hero wine for our district and with good reason. The soft peppery style with plenty of length is produced by careful crop management, selective pruning and letting the deep roots do the rest.
I prune this one hard to control the vigorous growth and it always rewards us with wine that has a gorgeous nose of passionfruit and melon, complimented by a capsicum, herbaceous and mineral palate.
I have a couple of blocks being redeveloped and planted to tempranillo and Riesling.
As the first variety to flower, it’s planted at the highest point in the vineyard to avoid the frost, it is picked early for sparkling and later for a generous stone fruit driven table wine.
Come and try my wines at our cellar door located at the Smokehouse Restaurant and open every day from 9:30am to 5:00pm.
The best place to get our wines is direct from us.
If you promise you are over 18 years old, check out what is currently on our shelves.
There is nothing better than sharing a glass of wine with family and friends. The Wily Trout wine club helps you keep your shelves stocked with hand crafted wines where you know the people that nurtured it and hills where it was grown.
The wine club is very flexible; you can login and change your details and choices at any time. We will remind you that you have a case on its way so that you can modify dates or delivery address if you are away from home.
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