Chalk Hill – Alpha Crucis + Wits End
Chalk Hill is is one of McLaren Vale’s premier wineries, owned by the Harvey family whose grape growing heritage dates back six generations in South Australia. It is run by brothers Tom & Jock, whose ancestor John Harvey arrived on the Superb in South Australia in 1839.
“The sixth-generation siblings grew up among the vines. Back then, Willunga was the largest almond growing region in the Southern Hemisphere. “We both had to do everything on the farm,” Tom says. “I think that was the mentality, you have your sons so that they can be cheap labour.” That included grape picking during the 70s.
“In 1978 we didn’t get paid for an entire crop,” Jock says. “To lose $35,000 seems like chicken food these days but in the 70s you could buy a lot with that sort of money.” The kids were made to drink frozen Grenache juice. “The old man hated to throw anything away so we froze up as much grape juice as we could and were forced to eat it.” They are precious childhood memories. “McLaren Vale has a lovely long and somewhat understated history in the wine industry,” Jock says. “Barossans seem to have this natural assumption that they are the best but I think it’s been a real advantage for McLaren Vale to form its own path, it’s gone a little more softly.” (credit: Kate Spain, WBM Magazine).
There are six family-owned vineyards, first planted in 1897, and these century old vines still bear fruit today. Each vineyard has a different soil type and topography. Some vineyards are certified organic. As well, some biodynamic methods are employed along with IPM (integrated pest management).
Wines are labeled under Chalk Hill domestically in Australia, and overseas under both Alpha Crucis and Wits End labels. All wines (whatever the label) are made by Renae Hirsch, who in 2015 succeeded Emma Bekkers. Renae’s approach to winemaking is quite simple, making and drinking wines that have a purity of fruit expression, showcasing varietal, regional and vineyard characteristics. She believes this is achieved using as little intervention as possible, aiming to guide the wines through maturation before bottling to maintain freshness while having balance, elegance and finesse.
Alpha Crucis wines mainly hail from the The Heritage Vineyard in central McLaren Vale. This site sits on Blanche Point Limestone formed between 56 and 34 million years ago. The soil comprises washed sand over clay, which limits vine vigor and hence reduces the number of grapes on each vine. The vines are on their own roots and trellised on a single cordon with vertical shoot positioning to enable good sunlight and air penetration in the vine canopy.
Wines are only released in years that pass muster of quality and varietal integrity.
Wines
#treballant i patint amb minimalwines al #patanegrarestoran
Frescor i alegria de la #mencia del #bierzo de #mengoba gregory.mengoba
La mar i la montanya Mediterrània de #mallorca , la #callet es deixa embaucar per la #mantonegro en un vi mOlt interessant, ostia, molt molt interessant a càrrec 4kilosvinicola
i la contravessant ve de les antípodes: una #shyra de #alphacruciswines de manual per acabar, #caliente caliente.
#tast #wine #wein #vinho #vin #vino #feina #patir #cata #dijous #jueves #mclarenvalle #minimalwines
Thank you to the special crew that could join us lamaroshotel to taste the exceptional chalk_hill_wines and the outstanding Alpha Crucis Wine Makers Series 🍷 Thank you Mr Mosman for sharing your love and knowledge of these wines with us. 🙌 #uniquewinesolutions #chalkhillwines #alphacruciswines #wine #welovewine #winestagram #winetasting #southaustralianwine #mclarenvale #mclarenvalewine
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Now this here was an interesting lineup: six very different #AlphaCrucisWines made from the grapes of one single McLaren Vale vineyard. The winemakers had free hands to create the best wine possible from these Shiraz grapes, beginning with the right harvest date and including stuff like possible yeast inoculation or oak aging regime.
The lighter and more delicate style of Shiraz made by the Spinifexwines winemaker, Peter Schell, was easily my favorite out of these six wines. Very classy stuff.