Altitude is Everything.
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Our magnificent Myrrhee Ridge vineyard sits 650 metres above
sea level overlooking the King Valley along the edge of the western side of the Great Dividing Range. Notably, the King Valley is one of the highest altitude grape growing regions in Australia. The soil is mostly a deep red clay loam, at times tending more to grey or brown in colour, but with the same structure. Being on the western range of the King Valley, the Redbank vineyards have constant airflow in and around the canopy of the vines, which lowers the risk of fungal disease. This enables us to harvest the grapes at the most opportune time. -
The soil of the upper King Valley is ancient, decomposed volcanic lava flow soil. This deep red, granitic loam soils of the valley and mountains provide the basis for growing high quality grapes. With the soil being free draining and deep, the vine can self regulate its moisture uptake to provide the perfect balance between leaf foliage and fruit. It is only in the driest of years or the hottest of periods where supplementary irrigation is required.
The combination of our vineyard's location on top of the ridges and great airflow for disease suppression, results in wines that have maximum fruit flavour.
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The valley’s continental climate provides warm days and cool nights, influenced by the katabatic breeze that sweeps northward down the valley from the high country. A range of microclimates are available from the slightly warmer valley floors to the bracingly cool upper slopes. This variance in elevation is why the King Valley region can produce such a wide range of wine styles. At altitude, cold nights and moderate days are perfect for ripening cool climate French and Italian varieties, like Pinot Noir and Prosecco.