Sue and Dave Carpenter are pioneers of winegrowing in the Canberra District, first planting Bungendore’s Lark Hill Vineyard in 1978. That site is a lofty one, topping out at 860 metres, consequently it is a cold site, well suited to riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir and grüner veltliner (they made Australia’s first commercial release in 2009), but too marginal for one of the regional heroes, shiraz.
“Canberra is a fascinating district with great diversity in altitude, soil and therefore terroirs. One of the mistakes made in the 1990s was an effort to define each Australian Wine region by one ‘hero’ variety – shiraz in the case of Canberra. More adventurous planting, more knowledgeable grape growing and an interest in alternate varieties means that shiraz has been rather overshadowed.”
In 2011, the Carpenters were offered a chance to buy a vineyard in Murrumbateman, where shiraz flourishes at a still meaningfully elevated 600-odd metres. As opposed to the depleted shale and heavy clay of Lark Hill, the site was planted on the typical deep granitic soils that characterise some of the more lauded Canberra District shiraz sites. The new acquisition was renamed Dark Horse Vineyard
“Dark Horse sits in the lozenge-shaped area of volcanic-granite soils that are much younger and more fertile than most of the district,” says David Carpenter. “I would argue that much of the best shiraz in Canberra is grown in this relatively small area. We had purchased shiraz fruit from the vineyard in 2009 and ’10 – the quality was obvious, and the wines had done very well in wine shows.”
Dark Horse was first planted in 1999 by a member of the Kirk family (of Clonakilla fame), and it was managed with ostensibly conventional farming methods. On taking possession, that approach was immediately replaced with a biodynamic regimen to begin official conversion, with certification achieved in 2013 (NASAA). That brought the Carpenters’ two vineyards into line in terms of methodology, if they are somewhat dissimilar in terms of structure.
“Dark Horse has such a different feel to Lark Hill Vineyard,” Carpenter says. “Lark Hill is a patchwork of small blocks, intersecting planting angles and slope changes, whereas Dark Horse is a large, uniform and rectangular area, running down the hill – everything is neat, ordered and lined up. It’s incredibly satisfying to work on, and it feels like a real powerplant of concentrated fruit production.”
And while Dark Horse is still in cool climate territory, Carpenter notes that its westerly orientation makes for long and warm afternoons. “I think this can mean, especially in hot, dry years, that traditional French-derived varieties like roussanne, viognier, marsanne, and to an extent shiraz, don’t suit it well – but sangiovese thrives in this moderate-warm climate.”
Although the 5-hectare vineyard had been bought on the strength of its shiraz vines, sangiovese made up a third of the plantings. “It’s a variety I had very little experience with making or selling,” Carpenter says. “The obvious choice was to make the ‘sangio’ with as little intervention as possible and see what the vineyard would deliver. The result was medium bodied, light coloured and easy drinking… and absolutely raced out the door.”
That encouraged the Carpenters to plant more sangiovese, not just due to that commercial success, but also due to its clear suitability to the soils and climate. That saw a block of roussanne removed in 2017 in favour of a newer clone (to Australia) of sangiovese (Mat-6). In 2021, lesser clones of viognier and more roussanne in other blocks made way for garganega and teroldego, with falanghina being added in ’22.
“Canberra is a fascinating district with great diversity in altitude, soil and therefore terroirs,” says Carpenter. “One of the mistakes made in the 1990s was an effort to define each Australian Wine region by one ‘hero’ variety – shiraz in the case of Canberra. More adventurous planting, more knowledgeable grape growing and an interest in alternate varieties means that shiraz has been rather overshadowed.”
The replacement of vines at Dark Horse reflects their observed performance, with the varieties that have been chosen as replacements selected based on the mostly universal view that the long-term future will both be drier and hotter. Garganega, teroldego and falanghina are all heat and drought tolerant, while also being more disease resistant. Additionally, rootstocks have been selected to best manage reduced available water and potentially increased salinity levels.
Carpenter notes that until 2021, “our most consistent challenge has been sufficient water to support grapevines – with lots of work on composting, mulching, reduced yields and maximising the efficiency of what irrigation we could apply.” However, 2021 and ’22 were some of the wettest years to date, and 2023 is looking to follow that pattern, a measure of how while the hot and dry trend continues, climate change is just as much about extreme variability.
“We’ve also begun the process of having the vineyard certified ‘sustainable’,” says Carpenter, “which brings a much wider scope of analysis into the vineyard activity, and also the greater business impact. For example, carbon dioxide is emitted during fermentation, but the vines store great amounts of carbon each year by growing and ripening fruit – so our integration of the business helps neutralise some issues.”
The vineyard will grow over the next couple of years, but a more wholistic approach to the property is the ultimate goal. “For the moment, Dark Horse remains dedicated to grapevines – in as sustainable and regenerative way as possible,” says Carpenter. “We have a program of new plantings that will conclude in 2024, at which point the focus will go back into balancing revegetation and perhaps an eco-tourism experience around a vineyard cellar door.”
Regular soil, compost and petiole tests are conducted to provide data on soil and vine health, as well as nutrient requirements and composting success. Adjustments are made using organic materials such as seaweed preparations, composted animal manures and composted carp. While being a nutrient boost for the soil, carp fertiliser also has the added benefit of removing European carp – a significant freshwater pest – from Australian waterways.
Inter-row cultivation is eschewed, with a natural mix of native grasses allowed to thrive in the sward, with mowing and under-vine green mulching adding organic matter through the growing season. “I think it’s important that the inputs in the vineyard and the winery are extremely limited,” says Carpenter. “The wines are fermented using indigenous yeasts, so the yeast character is unique to each wine.”
That population of native yeasts also has a much better chance of doing its job effectively, with Carpenter noting that yeast-assimilable nitrogen (YAN) has increased dramatically under their farming methods. “YAN is a pre-ferment health check on the juice to ensure that the yeast can complete the ferment without running out of vitamins and minerals. The levels have doubled… which means that we don’t have to add additional nutrients; this is a great indicator of health in the vines, and the farm is more self-sufficient.”
Beyond lab analysis, Carpenter notes that the vitality of the vines is evident to the eye, and the improvement in quality and natural balance both as fruit and in the finished wine is impossible to miss. “The juice isn’t adjusted or fined to change what the vines have created, which means that I can be more confident that the wines are very much defined by their site and the vintage conditions.”
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