Topper’s Mountain Vineyard, New England
Mark Kirkby’s Topper’s Mountain Vineyard was planted over two years to an eclectic mix of grape varieties in the elevated cool of New South Wales’ New England region. Over two and a half decades, the 10-hectare vineyard has seen varieties come and go – tested, grafted over, replaced – in a continuous search for the best vine-to-site match on a remote and singular piece of land. The viticultural approach is low impact: sheep graze amongst the vines through the cooler months, under-vine slashing replaces herbicide where possible, no pesticides have been used since the year of planting, and synthetic fertilisers were abandoned more than five years ago, replaced with composted cow manure from a local non-antibiotic feedlot. The estate wines consist of varietal bottlings and field blends, some whites with skin contact and some reds with extended macerations, all with minimal sulphur as the only addition.
