The Gralyn vineyard sits at around 100 metres elevation on the Wilyabrup ridge, with the Wilyabrup Brook flowing through at its base. The topography is deliberate in how it shapes the site: the ridge position funnels cool sea breezes from the valley carved by the brook, producing a longer, calmer ripening curve than much of the surrounding region. “Gralyn sits high for Wilyabrup and the valley carved out by the Wilyabrup Brook funnels cool sea breezes straight through the site,” says Baxter. “That gives us a longer, calmer ripening curve.” Soils shift with the slope: classic lateritic ironstone gravel over clay at the top – free-draining, low vigour, naturally building small berries and structure in established vines – giving way to more loam and granite influence nearer the waterways below, where moisture is retained. Chardonnay was placed on those lower slopes deliberately. “As you come down the slope the profile shifts – a little more loam and granite influence nearer the waterways with better moisture-holding,” Baxter says. “That’s exactly why we placed chardonnay there; it holds tension and stays bright.”
“The Indian Ocean and the Leeuwin Current play a major role in shaping our successful vintages,” he says. “It is this close proximity to the ocean and unique elevation that moderates our vineyard temperatures. A cooling sea breeze on a hot summer afternoon can reduce the temperature by as much as ten degrees.” Wilyabrup’s position between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin means the site benefits from both Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean influence, stretching ripening well into late April. At its best, that translates to a regional signature Baxter describes in simple terms: “Cabernet with cassis and fine, ‘gravelly’ tannin, and chardonnay with drive, brightness and precision.”
The old block is managed with corresponding care. “The old block is treated almost as an extension of the garden,” Baxter says. “Almost every job is done slowly, carefully by hand, and with purpose. Nothing is rushed.” The 50-year-old dry-grown vines now largely self-regulate, their deep root systems finding moisture in the clay subsoil through the long dry growing period between November and March without irrigation. The new block requires more active guidance – precision pulse irrigation on the free-draining gravel at elevation, tight monitoring, and gradual encouragement of roots toward the clay layer. “It’s short-term pain for long-term gain,” says Baxter. “Once roots hit that clay, the vine settles, balances up, and the site really starts to express itself.”
“Maintaining the under-vine grass by hand takes a bit of effort, but is well worth it for its low impact on the soil. The quality of the fruit is exceptional, with organic vineyard practices and increased microbiology in our soils, we are producing grapes with perfect balance, intense flavour and fine ripe tannins – essential building blocks for great wine.”
The biological program that underpins the farming is built around the premise Baxter calls “less is more – little and often.” Rather than chasing problems with corrective chemistry, the aim is to keep the vine steady with timely, measured inputs that build inherent resilience. “We run an organic program built around biology, beneficial fungi and bacteria like Trichoderma and Bacillus subtilis to help the vine defend itself, rather than chasing problems with harsh chemistry,” he says. Copper is not used. Sulphur use has been progressively eliminated – since 2020, sulphur is only used early in the season to control mites, with nothing applied after that – and the last sprays of each season are completely sulphur-free, relying on natural microbiology. “I believe our vineyard is healthy because it is in balance with nature,” he says. The connection to winemaking is direct: the natural yeast populations relied on for wild fermentation are the same populations that would be disrupted by synthetic spray programs. Keeping the biology intact in the vineyard keeps the ferments alive in the winery.
The result shows first in the soil. “You see the payoff under-vine first: better soil structure, more friability, more worms, and water soaking in rather than running off,” Baxter says. “That’s when you know the system is improving.” Water infiltration has improved measurably – storm events soak in rather than running off the sloping site – and vines show fewer stress symptoms in late summer. The evenness of yield across the chardonnay, for instance, was down to just two buckets’ – 20 kilograms – difference between rows at hand-picking last vintage. Winery analysis reflects the same pattern: more consistent YAN levels, lower pH for a given baumé, and healthier ferments. “In the fruit it shows up as even ripening and calmer ferments, better natural acidity, steadier nutrition, and tannins that feel finer and more composed.”
The breadth of what Gralyn produces from a single 10-hectare site is remarkable: up to fifteen different wine styles, from dry to sweet to fortified, each requiring a different picking window, canopy target and fermentation approach. “We have a series of small, tailored picks,” says Baxter. “Each parcel is harvested to suit a style, and that constant shift from vineyard to winery keeps it genuinely interesting.” Early picks protect freshness and line; later picks build texture and depth; fortified material is held to build flavour and concentration, with specific parcels and rows selected for vintage and rare releases. “Annette and I are hands-on at every stage – growing the fruit, making the wine, and pouring it at our Caves Road cellar door. Most days end the same way: tasting and debriefing around the kitchen table on what we’ve seen in the vineyard, the winery, and in customer feedback.”
The vineyard sits within a 200-hectare farm of bushland, multi-species pastures and meandering waterways that Baxter manages as a single system. “The vineyard only thrives if the rest of the property is functioning – bushland, pastures and waterways included,” he says. “We manage the farm as one system, because the vineyard sits inside it.” Farming beside the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and a few kilometres from the coast shapes both the philosophy and the perspective. Baxter and Annette are second-generation vignerons and third-generation cattle farmers. “We don’t see ourselves as owners, rather as custodians,” he says. “People love that we can walk them to a vine planted in 1975, then pour a wine that came off it. It makes that idea of ‘place’ real instantly.”
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