Our Vines

Llangibby Echunga

The Llangibby Tempranillo vineyard has always been the base of the La Linea rosé. Located in the central Hills between Echunga and Mount Barker, it is on a gentle east-facing slope at approximately 360 metres above sea level. The soil is pretty uniform by Adelaide Hills standards: a relatively shallow grey-brown loam over clay. The site is of moderate vigour, and the vines do not need a great deal of ‘intensive’ management… selective shoot removal in spring is normally enough to ensure balanced canopies and adequate fruit exposure. The vines were planted in 1999, and unusually for South Australia, are grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstocks.

Mt Lofty Ranges
This is the new home of the Riesling fruit used in the Vertigo wines. It bears many similarities to the Nepenthe Lenswood block, which was the source for the 2008 25GR, but is slightly higher and cooler. It is a lovely property, planted to Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Riesling. All four produce terrific fruit. Peter knows; he has made all four varieties into wine for the owners of the site since 1998, and each has had its place in the spotlight, frequently winning trophies at the expense of the competing Nepenthe wine in the same class! (Something his employers found only mildly amusing…).

But the Riesling always showed that it had something special. If it is cropped too highly it won’t ripen; modest yields are essential. Hand-pruned, hand-picked, low vigour, stony soil, small vines; all of the attributes of quality Riesling.

The slopes are steep, really steep. The photos alongside don’t really show just how vertiginous they are, but believe us, they are the viticultural equivalent of a roller-coaster. Only the brave drive a tractor at this place.

Pepicelli
We often wonder if Carmine Pepicelli will name each of his vines; he seems to know them all that well! Tempranillo is a small but important part of his vineyard, which is located just south of Gumeracha. East/west rows which crest a gentle hill and are therefore on relatively shallow soil mean moderate vigour, relatively late ripening, and lovely aromatics in the resultant wine. Still quite a young block, we look forward to its contribution to La Linea for many years
Verdure Estate, Kuitpo

Verdure Estate belongs to the Schmaal family. Ben and Emma Schmaal tend their vineyard at Kuitpo (at the far southern end of the Hills region, above McLaren Vale) with great care and precision, and produce Tempranillo with terrific perfume and structure. Part of their success can be attributed to the red, ironstone-derived gravelly loam on which the vines grow, which seems eminently suitable for red varieties.

Email: info@lalinea.com.au

Subscribe

Phone: 0437 652 743