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Owners: Ezio and Wendy Minutello |
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Grower (Viticulturalist): Ezio Minutello |
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Winemaker (Viniculturalist): Ezio Minutello in liaison with Consultants |
Vineyard and Climate
At an altitude of 600m this is one of the highest vineyards in Victoria. There
are 20 Hectares (50 acres) under vine. The climate and soil type are comparable to the best
wine growing areas in Europe. In addition to this, clean water and clear air
coupled with very cold winters, hot summer days and cool nights makes for
intensely flavoured high quality grapes.
Varieties and Plantings
Pinot Gris – 2 Hectares
Chardonnay – 7.5 Hectares
Pinot Noir – 7.5 Hectares
Merlot – 2 Hectares
Soil Type
The soil type is a-strata 6, duplex soil clay
loam. These soils are found on very ancient river terraces, and in some areas
are overlain with colluvial material (vi mb). These soils have excellent water
holding capacity and require minimum to nil irrigation.
Irrigation System
Annapurna Estate is in danger of destructive frosts especially
during spring after bud burst. After a severe frost 1996 and 1999, the
irrigation system was put in – which is only for frost mitigation. An alarm
sounds if the temperature falls too low, and the pump is turned on, and pumps
water up from the dam, through the reticulation system and over the vines until
dawn.
Rainfall
1200 – 1400 ml per annum
Wine
Style
Annapurna Estate produces single estate, cool
climate wines. The fruit takes longer to ripen and harvest is later than in warm
climates, which allows it time to develop intense flavours. The aim is to
express the natural flavours and colours of the fruit, so the style is fresh and
elegant, with very little wood or treatment.
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"Award winning vineyard hosts February field day"
"A tour of the property demonstrates the meticulous attention paid to every facet of the vineyard operation, from the immaculate chemical storage area and a workshop which would put a surgical operating theatre
to shame, to the computer-generated record keeping system that not only tracks accounts but also employee performance on a point score system."
Liz Guy
Rural News
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| "Dear Wendy and Ezio,
"Just a quick note to say thank you again for arranging the birthday lunch for Paula. We had an absolutely lovely time and enjoyed the hospitality, the food and the wine very much. Paula thought it one of the best birthday treats she has had. In fact, she as already opened one of the '95 sparkling just to remind us of how good it is and how
much we enjoyed our return visit to Annapurna.
Best wishes to you
both" Brian
Waters
Walla Walla |
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