Hobbs Of Barossa Ranges

Now owned by Greg and Alison who, in 1995 left their life in the city to move their family Sean, Bridget and Jessica to start a new life among the vines.

The historic vineyard located in the idyllic, rugged surroundings of the Barossa Ranges was planted at the beginning of the last century and is home to some of Barossa’s oldest vines.

With a strong belief in organic and biodynamic practices, Greg and Alison have managed to bring renewed vitality to these ancient vines by carefully and painstakingly hand pruning and removing dead wood from the vines to re-establish their original shape, helping the vines to continue to prosper. The unique soil and cooler climate in the Barossa Ranges allow the vines to be ‘dry-grown’, only watering in extreme conditions to maintain the health of the plant. The soil is coarse, yellow, podzolic soil on top of clay subsoil, mixed with decomposing rock which has ideal water retention allowing for this practice. This results in extremely low yields of highly concentrated grapes, the cooler climate helping to preserve essential acidity, a combination that produces wines of great power and intensity.

“Our philosophy in making our wines is simple; nurture the vines and concentrate on preserving the complex balance of flavours and acids as the grapes mature. The secrets of soil and seasons bring so much to the wines we make. Hand pruned, handpicked and hand made.”

Greg and Alison have worked alongside Pete Schell of Spinifex for the past 10 year producing their flagship wine Tin Lids, a Shiraz-Cabernet blend. This is made from extremely low yielding vines in miniscule quantities of just 130 to 300 cases.Greg and Alison’s relationship with the winemakers they collaborate with is key, their influences showing throughout their wines.