Mount Horrocks | Clare Valley

Established in 1980, the Mount Horrocks winery was purchased by winemaker Stephanie Toole in 1993 and since then she has made significant improvements to the wines, vineyards and winery. She now has three vineyard sites in the Clare Valley, each managed using natural farming and organic practices. Stephanie's attention to detail and refusal to cut corners is obvious in all her wines and production is restricted to approximately 3,500 cases per year in order to achieve her aims of quality and single-vineyard expression. In 2014, the winery and vineyards were organically certified by the ACO (Australian Certified Organic). 

Stephanie describes her wines as 'hand-made food wines' with an emphasis on structure as well as generous fruit flavours. All grapes are estate grown and hand picked from two organically managed vineyards: the ‘Cordon Cut’ vineyard at Auburn close to the cellar door, planted only to Riesling; and the ‘Alexander’ vineyard at Watervale for Riesling, Semillon, Nero d’Avola, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. She has a total of nearly 10 hectares of vines. Stephanie’s persistence with classic, no compromise winemaking and a fully integrated organic approach to growing sets Mount Horrocks wines apart from the mainstream.

Each release from Stephanie seems to eclipse the quality standard set by the previous vintage. The ‘Watervale’ Riesling is a regional classic, the Semillon is barrel-fermented and exquisite, while the 'Cordon Cut' Riesling ranks among Australia's best sweet wines. Stephanie's Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are ethereal, elegant expressions from Clare and get better every year.

MOUNT HORROCKS