Douglas Gully sits at 150 metres on a north-facing slope in Blewitt Springs. The Grenache was planted to bush vines in 1948 and is farmed today by Fred Howard. At close to eighty years old, these are among the oldest vines we work with.
The soil is deep sand, free-draining and low in nutrition, which keeps the vines naturally low-yielding. The vineyard is dry grown — no irrigation at all — so the vines send roots down hard in search of water and the fruit that results is small-berried and concentrated. The north-facing aspect brings the fruit to full ripeness, while cooling afternoon air off the coast holds onto acidity and keeps the wine fresh.
Bush vine training is the oldest method of managing a vine — each plant stands free, without wire or trellis. In Blewitt Springs, where summer heat can be extreme, this open canopy shelters the fruit from direct sun and favours concentration over volume.
They are among the most visually distinctive vines we work with. Left to their own shape, they form low, spreading bushes — each one different, all of them old. What comes off them reflects that: small yields, deep colour, more texture than most Grenache.
