The Somerset Vineyard in Pokolbin is a place of significant history, a site first planted to vines in the 1890s. It supplied fruit to Maurice O’Shea at Mount Pleasant before the vines were removed during WWII when demand for food outweighed the need for grapes. Replanting began in 1965, 1966 and 1968 under the Howard family, who managed Somerset for six generations. Those new vines, on that old site, became the material for some famous wines – many of the Lindeman’s Bin offerings, as well as some of Len Evans’ most acclaimed wines at Rothbury Estate. Angus Vinden started working at the property alongside fifth-generation grower Glen Howard in 2014, before purchasing it in September 2020. The oldest vines date to 1965, with the average vine age now around 40 years.
“The microclimate of the valley, the super fine granular clay topsoil, the calcarious limestone bedrock and the selections of old Busby clones seem to produce a lighter framed style of shiraz in particular. The site seems to have this amazing ability to produce grapes that are full flavoured with phenolic ripeness at a lower baumé and resultantly at a lower alcohol which gives us the amazing ability to preserve natural acidity. The holy grail for any vigneron. This seems to cary across to semillon, chardonnay and the other varieties as well.”
The site comprises a steep limestone hillside and sandy loam flats, with red volcanic soils over calcareous limestone bedrock. Howard used to tell Vinden that Somerset was a “Burgundy Vineyard” – referencing the lighter-framed style of shiraz the site has always produced. “The microclimate of the valley, the super fine granular clay topsoil, the calcareous limestone bedrock and the selections of old Busby clones seem to produce a lighter framed style of shiraz in particular,” says Vinden. “The site seems to have this amazing ability to produce grapes that are full flavoured with phenolic ripeness at a lower Baumé and resultantly at a lower alcohol which gives us the amazing ability to preserve natural acidity. The holy grail for any vigneron. This seems to carry across to semillon, chardonnay and the other varieties as well.”
The vineyard is managed predominantly as dry grown, with 60 per cent able to be supported by drip irrigation during droughts and heat spikes if necessary. Blocks are planted around the contours of the hills – north-south, east-west and everything in between – reflecting the natural topography of the site. Vine spacing runs at approximately 2,500 per hectare. All pruning is by hand, using the Simonit & Sirch soft pruning method, with 80 per cent cane pruning and 20 per cent spur pruning. The trellis is VSP with two sets of moveable lifting wires. All fruit is handpicked.
“I am planting a multitude of new blocks and varieties to make sure we are ready for the future. Recently, I’ve planted gamay, pinot noir, pinot meunier, grenache, cinsault, mourvèdre and new clones of tempranillo and chardonnay.”
The wine range from Somerset reflects the site’s internal diversity: alongside the Somerset Vineyard Semillon ($45), Chardonnay ($60), Fiano ($45), Gewürztraminer ($40), Tempranillo ($60), Reserve Semillon ($60), Reserve Tempranillo ($70) and Pokolbin Blanc ($40), Vinden makes three separate shiraz bottlings – East Slope, North Slope and West Slope ($60 each) – that trace the distinct characters produced by different aspects and soil exposures across the property.
Chenin blanc (approximately 1 hectare), fiano (approximately 1 hectare) and gewürztraminer (approximately 2 hectares) are grafted. The remaining varieties, including the 1965 semillon and shiraz, are on their own roots – the continuation of a viticultural tradition that precedes Vinden’s tenure by decades. Replanting has been an active program since the severe Hunter Valley flooding events of February and June 2022, which caused vine death through rising salt and root rot across several acres. Those lost blocks have been replanted on rootstocks selected for salt and drought resilience. In the chardonnay blocks, Penfolds clones that had underperformed are being replaced with clones 1066 and 548, which carry higher levels of natural acidity – a targeted improvement to strengthen the site’s whites for the decades ahead. New clones of tempranillo and semillon are planned to follow. Alongside the replanting program, Vinden has also been expanding the varietal mix with an eye to the future, recently planting gamay, pinot noir, pinot meunier, grenache, cinsault and mourvèdre – varieties not yet producing wines but chosen to broaden the range of what Somerset can offer as the climate continues to shift.
“I want to ensure that our property is in a better condition than when I first took it over,” says Vinden. “We farm our vineyards organically with a view to biodynamics eventually – converting the vineyards to organic has been my most proud achievement to date.” That organic conversion eliminates synthetic herbicides, pesticides, insecticides and fungicides, with only copper, sulphur and biological sprays employed. Cover crops are planted across every row – a custom mix of 10 to 15 species including native grasses, perennial grasses, cereal crops, mustards and legumes – to build soil health, act as insectary plantings and support beneficial insects. An under-vine mower and cultivators have replaced herbicide use under vine, with mulching and composting applied to retain moisture and nutrients. Rainwater is collected on site, which operates off-grid; solar installation and the switch from diesel pumps to electric are underway. A creek on the property has been replanted with native trees and reeds to reduce the effects of rising salt. Two bushland areas have been regenerated as wildlife corridors for native species.
Weaker vines are being replaced with massal selections from more resilient plants throughout the vineyard. Annual soil testing tracks improvements. Clay-based organic sunscreen is sprayed to reduce heat stress during heatwaves. “In the Hunter, harvest is continually getting earlier and with increasing heatwaves,” says Vinden. “Looking after the soil so the vines are increasingly resilient is paramount. We’ve just had four years of extreme drought, to seeing rainfall become more sporadic, so we have to be agile and proactive.”
What the organic conversion has already delivered is visible in the fruit. “What we have seen over the last five years is that even in the wet years we are able to pick our fruit,” says Vinden. “The skins of the grapes are thicker and more resilient. Reduced disease pressure and better natural acidity.” Jettisoning a career in architecture to manage the family operation in all its aspects – the vineyard, the winemaking and a cellar door open seven days a week – Vinden does not understate the workload. But the direction is set and the logic is clear. O’Shea, Len Evans and generations of Howards all understood why this site kept producing great fruit. Angus Vinden is adding his chapter to that story, one cover-cropped row at a time.
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