Fighting Gully Road Vineyard, Beechworth
Perched at 550 meters elevation in Beechworth, Fighting Gully Road spans 12 hectares, tended to by visionary vigneron Mark Walpole. This windy, low-humidity site has evolved from 1997 through to 2019 and is now planted to sangiovese, tempranillo, chardonnay, verdicchio, and grenache. Walpole’s low-input approach blends pragmatism with sustainability: cane pruning for longevity, drip irrigation as needed, and a permanent sward of clovers and grasses to boost biodiversity. Wines grown in this vineyard include Fighting Gully Road’s Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache, Verdicchio, Gros Manseng, and Rosé bottlings, while a portion of the tempranillo is sold to winemaker Adrian Rodda for his Aquila Audaux Tempranillo. The x-factor here lies in the vineyard’s north-east slope, with a microclimate of cooler days and warmer nights alongside a unique geology offering Walpole a brilliant canvas on which to paint his own take on Beechworth.