Vineyard

Kooyong is planted to 30 hectares of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris vineyards, all north facing to maximise their exposure to the sun.There are five distinct vineyards of which three are planted to Pinot Noir, two predominantly to Chardonnay, and a small section of Pinot Gris.  A small amount of Viognier is also planted on the property.

The viticultural practices employed at Kooyong are designed to enhance and express the natural characteristics of each vineyard, and to ensure that the highest quality fruit is produced. Cane pruning is performed by hand each winter.There is a 'green pruning' in Spring to remove all the excess shoots and to manage the spacing and shoot density of the canopy. If the season is tending towards higher yields, then fruit is removed prior to veraison to regulate yields.The fruit is then harvested by hand once mature and processed in the on site winery. The best section of each vineyard is reserved for the Single Vineyard wines.

The best of the remaining parcels are then selected to make the Kooyong Estate Blend wines of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The remaining parcels are then blended together to produce the Massale Pinot Noir and the Clonale Chardonnay. It is important to note that, due to consistency of quality parameters for each parcel, the same parcels of fruit tend to be used for the same wines each year.

Haven

Planted exclusively to Pinot Noir. It is the most sheltered site being surrounded by treed areas protecting it from both the southerly and northerly winds.The soil is a duplex loam over clay of sedimentary origin, as is the rest of the property. The soil differs here due to a lower amount of sand and fewer sandstone pebbles being interdispersed throughout the profile. The resulting wine has an opulence and structure not found in the other vineyards due to the nature of both the site and soil. These are wines that can show great potential to age as they are remarkably well balanced.

Farrago

Planted exclusively to Chardonnay. This small vineyard is situated down the slope and is protected only from the south. The soil is variable in nature from areas of very high sand content to other areas of higher clay content. The best wine comes from the clayey soils where the mineral content is highest. In fact, the soil here has a mottled appearance probably due to the high mineral content, hence the vineyard's name. The wine produced here is defined by its very linear character with strong minerality. At its best,this is the premier white wine with the greatest ageing potential.

Ferrous

Planted exclusively to Pinot Noir. This vineyard is adjacent to the Haven vineyard. It is less protected from the northerly winds but its main difference is a much higher concentration of sandstone pebbles in the soil. Here the sandstones are encrusted with iron oxide giving them a rusty appearance. Their high incidence causes the soil to be much less forgiving, resulting in greater stress being placed upon the vines. These vines tend to run out of available water much sooner. The resulting wine is more masculine in nature, the tannins have more presence and the wine more colour.The very concentrated fruit helps keep these wines in balance and ensures that they have great potential to improve with age.

Faultline

Planted predominantly to Chardonnay. A small section, called the Enclave, is planted to Pinot Noir. It is an area where the soils are characterised by a very red clay indicating a higher iron content and greater friability of the soil. Enclave produces rounded and soft Pinot Noir which forms an important part of the Massale blend. This is the largest vineyard at Kooyong. It is further down the slope, in line with the Farrago vineyard to the east. A geological fault exists at the southern end of this vineyard. Here the soils are composed of poor draining black clays and are unsuitable for viticulture. Below this fault the soils are much richer and well drained. There are few pebbles present here and stress levels are moderately low. The resulting wine is always richer and fuller than Farrago. The wines are defined by their greater textural characters and supported by the inherent minerality.

Meres

Planted to Pinot Noir, except for a quarter acre planted to Pinot Gris. Further east and lower down the slope from the other pinot plantings lies the Meres vineyard. The name originates from the surrounding water bodies. It has greater exposure to both the north, west and east and the soil is different to the other vineyards. It has less topsoil but a much higher sand content. The incidence of pebbles is also the lowest of all the Pinot Noir vineyards. This results in vines of lower vigour, due to the exposure, but also lower levels of stress, due to the sand content.The resulting wine has much gentler tannins and lighter colour. It has a greater level of perfume and a more feminine structure. Although it will improve markedly with age, it is the most approachable young.