Barr-Eden Estate

Barr-Eden Estate is a unique property consisting of 130 acres of natural splendour. Nestled on Mengler Hill, the property originally settled in 1858. It rises in elevation from 1525 to 1788 feet (465m to 545m) above sea level. It sits amongst some of the highest vineyards in altitude in Australia and it is situated across two world acclaimed wine regions; Barossa Valley and Eden Valley.

In March 2014 Joel Mattschoss, a renowned Barossa grape grower was fortunate enough to source a few tonnes of premium fruit from a long established Eden Valley property. The original 4,000 acre property was settled by the Polhner family in the foothills of the Barossa during the early settlement of South Australia in 1858. After nearly 150 years under the original Polhner family ownership, the property was sold to larger than life, Australian wine industry icon, Bob McLean in 1997.

Bob and Joel had a very close relationship and Joel was able to acquire this premium fruit. Through a common passion of great terroirs and premium wines, Joel showed the grapes to Pierre-Henri Morel, a Frenchman new to South Australia from the Northern Rhône region. Pierre-Henri spent over a decade working for Michel Chapoutier in Ermitage before he joined Two Hands Wines in early 2014. Pierre thought the fruit profile was reminiscent of the most uplifted and complex fruit within his home region. 

Together, they agreed to crush and to ferment the 2014 fruit separately, after a meticulous hand picking and hand destemming process. In 2016, Love Over Gold extended their footprint on the property and created Avenue to Gold, from a younger block of vines on the same property.

Sadly, only a few months later, Bob McLean passed away. Through their close friendship, an agreement was formed that Joel and Pierre, as well as Michael Twelftree and Tim Hower (proprietors of Two Hands Wines) would all become custodians of this unique property. From here, the Love Over Gold Estate was born.

The name Love Over Gold comes from this spectacular property as the vineyards have been lovingly planted over historic goldfields in Eden Valley. In October 2018, 1,700 days after the first berries were picked, the first wine was released, thus creating a new chapter of this unique story by the new custodians.