Lansdowne sits in the valleys above Forreston, between 350 and 400 metres in the Adelaide Hills. Brendan Cameron farms the site, planted to Chardonnay in stages between 1996 and 2005. We take fruit from several blocks across the vineyard.
Forreston sits in the valleys of the central Adelaide Hills, at a lower elevation than our Kenton Valley site. Ripening comes slowly here, and the long growing season lets flavour build without the fruit ever losing its line.
The soil is a red brown topsoil over shale and clay subsoil. The clay holds water through the dry months, while the shale beneath keeps drainage sharp enough that the vines never sit wet. It is a combination that suits Chardonnay well, giving the fruit both reach and restraint.
The vineyard has been farmed organically since 2018 and achieved certification in 2025 — no synthetic herbicides, no soluble fertiliser, and a permanent sward between the rows. It is a demanding way to farm in the Hills, where disease pressure runs higher than most parts of the state, and the seven years of work before certification say something about the intent behind it.
The Chardonnay from Lansdowne is the tighter, more mineral expression in our range — crystalline and linear where Bowyer Ridge is powerful. A wine that repays a little patience in the glass.
