Mount Majura
Canberra District, NSW
Winemaker: Jeremy Nascimben
Mount Majura Vineyard lies near the top of the Majura Valley, just outside the city of Canberra. The valley floor, too frosty in Spring for vines, was a camping area and transit corridor for the original Ngunnawal people. On the slopes of the valley, where the cold air drains away, the soil has developed from two geological formations. Limestone was deposited in the Silurian era, 430 million years ago. The Ainslie Volcanics, which form Mount Majura itself, were deposited very shortly afterwards. To a vigneron, an east-facing slope with limestone speaks softly but urgently of a need to plant vines. So it was that the late Dr Edgar Riek, a pioneer of viticulture in the Canberra District, came to plant a vineyard together with the then owner of our site, Mrs Dinny Killen. From these origins, the viticultural and winemaking objective is to deliver an expression of place. For the current custodians of the Vineyard, viticulturist James Hopper and winemaker Jeremy Nascimben the goal is to continue to produce wines that distinctively represent their origins. From integrated pest management in the vineyard to wild ferments in the winery, it is all about managing carefully but lightly, letting the quality come naturally.The vineyard is planted to a number of traditional and more experimental varieties, including the two that we now recognise as the most widely successful in the region: shiraz and riesling.We also have an ongoing quest to find new varieties as we better understand our climate and soil. Iberian varieties have been added with tempranillo showing it can produce some of the best wines from outside Spain producing wines of not only great quality, but real character. Graciano, touriga nacional, along with new plantings of mencia and albarino complete the mix.
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