Stormflower- Wilyabrup

Hands Down the best Winery we visited.
Organic, small boutique type of winery set in a cottage like garden with the warm inviting tasting room tastefully done.
Needless to say we walked out with an array of wines , never have we enjoyed every single variety during a tasting usually for me the reds can be over powered by the tannings or the whites to bitter and with the option of European cheeses and meats available with your tastings, well you may of just left me there! Fabulous!

The vineyard was planted in the mid-1990s, and when it was taken over by Stormflower in June 2007 there was over 14 Hectares of vines, including around 1.8 Ha of Cabernet Franc, 0.6 Ha of Merlot and 0.5 Ha of Petit Verdot. The vineyard needed attention and there were virtually no records of clones, yields, fertiliser history or other useful information.

In 2009 they decided to pull out the Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot vines as they were very low yielding and not the focus varietals of Stormflower. Later adjustments included pulling out around 1.5 Ha of weak Cabernet Sauvignon behind the dam, 5 rows (0.5 Ha) of Shiraz that contained some rogue varieties, and 200 of the best Cabernet Sauvignon vines (10% of the South block) to make the new entry road.

The resulting vineyard sits at around 9.2 hectares and the current varieties are:

Cabernet Sauvignon 1.77 Ha
Shiraz 2.20 Ha
Chardonnay 1.71 Ha
Sauvignon Blanc 1.75 Ha
Semillon 0.82 Ha
Chenin Blanc 0.91 Ha

Their lowest yielding variety is generally the Chardonnay, with the toughest position on the property and a sensitive varietal at the best of times. In 2021 they planted another 0.5 Ha of Chardonnay, and as these young vines start to contribute to the yields they hope to share there Chardonnay more widely, as its current production means it is reserved only for the Usual Suspects. They have also planted a small amount of Alvarinho and are looking forward to seeing what that varietal will produce in their area.

They ensure that our viticultural and winemaking practices are as gentle on the environment as they can be, and they focus on regenerating and working with their natural ecosystems. Maintaining organic certification is a way of providing independent assurance to their customers and supporters that they practice what we preach. It is important to them that we are transparent about our activities in the vineyard and in the winery, because what they do affects more than just our immediate surroundings.Læs mere