Vineyards
Murray Street’s vineyards are located in the Western Ridge of the Barossa Valley – a narrow strip of rolling hills separating the western Barossa Valley from the plains and Gulf St Vincent. This area is home to some of the oldest continuously producing commercial vineyards in the world, with grape varietals sought after by the region’s winemakers.Â
Our Greenock and Gomersal vineyards are subdivided into fifty individually-managed blocks, including remarkable old vine Shiraz and Grenache, and more recent but notable plantings of Mataro, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
Our winemakers work hand in hand with the viticulture team throughout the entire year, especially during the growing season when soil health is maintained, disease pressures are minimised, under-vine mulching implemented, and canopy-to-fruit ratios are optimised for the best results at the winery. During vintage, our head winemaker will visit the blocks across our vineyards daily, to ensure the quality of the fruit through a rigorous selection process.
Murray Street Artisan, Estate and Icon wines are now 100% Estate Grown from the release of the 2020 vintage wines thanks to the further planting of grapes at Greenock in 2015 and further expansion with the acquisition of 57 hectares of adjacent vineyards from Seppeltsfield and Kassebaum.
Our vineyards now stretch from Sir Condor Laucke Way (Murray Street) over the other side of the hill behind the winery down to Victor Road.
Murray Street is proud to be one of the largest family-owned wine estates in the Barossa Valley.Â
Greenock Estate Vineyard
The hillside vineyard of 81 hectares hosts mature plantings of Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Semillon. Some of the plantings of Grenache, Shiraz and Semillon go back fifty years and more. The vines are grown in red and brown clay and sandy loam soils of Greenock producing a distinctly elegant full-bodied flavour.
Location:Murray Street, Greenock – on the North West side of the Barossa.
Climate:Warm Summers, Cool Winters with night time temperatures ranging from -2ºC to 30ºC, and daytime temperatures 12ºC to 45ºC.
Rainfall:Average 470mm per annum.
Soil type:Deep red and brown friable clays, with the occasional pockets of sandy loam. Geology consists of quartz and sandstone on the higher blocks with pockets of ironstone siltstone and calcrete.
Varieties:Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Aspect:Southerly and westerly aspects
Elevation:273-303m above sea level
Gomersal Estate Vineyard
Located on a hillside promontory at the southern end of the Western Ridge of the Barossa Valley, the 40 hectare Gomersal Vineyard has sight lines across the Barossa Valley to the east and out to the Southern Ocean to west.
At the top of the hill a 30 acre preserve was set aside where all sorts of native flora and fauna can be observed. The Gomersal Vineyard hosts rocky hillsides of red clay and ironstone opening up to the valley below.
Location:Gomersal Road, Gomersal – on the north western ridge of the Barossa Valley.
Climate:Warm Summers, Cool Winters with night time temperatures ranging from -2ºC to 30ºC, and daytime temperatures 12ºC to 45ºC.
Rainfall:Average 510mm per annum.
Soil type:The soils vary quite dramatically as you navigate the vineyard; beginning with red clay over calcrete and slate bedrock, moving to more rocky weathered slate (the bottom of an ancient glacier). Over the hill the soils are deep sandy loam and black clays.
Varieties:Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Aspect:â…” North-South rows and â…“ east-west slopes, ranging from east southeast to west.
Elevation:194-212m above sea level
Sustainability in the Vineyards
Our vineyard management practices promote sustainability, under-vine mulching and composting winery stems and pomace, ensuring vine health is protected from harsh heat spikes. With more regenerative growing practices in place, including soil management and cover-cropping, we are less dependent upon chemical agriculture, and highly conscious of protecting our precious natural resources.Â
Murray Street considers taking care of the land that literally provides us the fruit of our labours, of utmost importance. We are the custodians of this land and aspire to preserve, protect and nurture the natural environment for future generations. To further support our environment, we have set aside 16 hectares to remain as a natural, biodiverse habitat. Moreover, after acquiring the Greenock and Gomersal properties in 2001, Murray Street regenerated the eroded creek beds using native vegetation, which has resulted in now thriving natural habitats. These deliberate and conscious steps lead to better ecology, healthier soil, less erosion, and better growing conditions for our vines, resulting in much higher quality in our fruit. Consequently, we’ve seen the return of native animals to the land. It is now not uncommon to see kangaroos hopping down a row of vines in the late afternoon or at dusk on the hillside above our Greenock tasting room or on the hill at the Gomersal vineyards.
